


In a Heartbeat

by NovaCaelum



Category: Snooker RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blow Jobs, F/M, Love at First Sight, Mentions of (Past) Abusive Relationship, Slow Build, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2019-10-31 00:25:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 34,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17838896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovaCaelum/pseuds/NovaCaelum
Summary: Do you believe in love at first sight?





	1. Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> Here is some basic info about my OCs:
> 
> Melissa Brooks. DoB: 18.09.90 - Professional photographer.  
> Andrew Brooks. DoB: 08.04.88 - Mel's older brother, Lawyer.  
> Elias Brooks. DoB: 22.07.92 - Mel's younger brother, IT Support.  
> Lyn Wallace. DoB: 09.12.90 - Mel's Roommate/Best-friend, Barista.  
> Jay Grant. DoB: 14.02.85 - Mel's Boss.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa accidentally bumps into one of her favourite players.

Melissa rushed through the venue, she was running a little late because her bus had been delayed; she kept tight hold of her camera bag and knew she'd have to explain the hold-up. Just as Melissa rounded a corner, she collided with someone and she braced herself to be falling onto her bottom, a strong pair of arms held her steady, "Sorry, are you okay?" Melissa looked up, mesmerised by a beautiful pair of soft-brown eyes, "I wasn't paying attention."

"Ah, no, it's my fault," Melissa stepped back, standing up straight, "I'm in a rush, I shouldn't have been running," She checked her watch, glad to see she was only two minutes late, at least it wasn't as bad as she thought; she took a second to finally give the man a once over, realisation quickly sinking in, "You don't need to apologise," How could she be so reckless? Of all people to bump into, literally, it had to be Judd Trump, one of her favourite players, "I'm really sorry Mr. Trump," Melissa ducked her head down, finding the formality rolling off her tongue, "I should really get going." She parted, rattling off another apology with a soft smile.

Judd found himself staring after her, he hadn't even gotten her name and she clearly knew who he was; an arm slid across his shoulders and he cursed under his breath, "Who was that?"

"I don't know," Judd turned to face his brother, shaking off the arm in the process, "She just bumped into me, I think she's a photographer, she had a camera."

"You saved her, wasn't she pretty?"

"Jack, I'm not a jerk, I wouldn't have let anyone fall. Was she? I wasn't really looking, I was shocked that she called me Mr. Trump," Judd laughed, but even as he brushed it off, he found that his heart-beat quickened; all he could remember was her sky-blue eyes, clear as a summer's day, "If she's your type, you should go for it."

Jack snorted out a laugh, turning away from Judd, "Come on, you need to practice."

* * *

Melissa didn't see Judd again until later that day, taking pictures of him holding a trophy that he'd worked so hard for, she found herself feeling proud, not that she had the right to; she'd be following his career over the past three years but hadn't always noticed him standing out. It wasn't until her older brother had shown her some videos of Judd playing that she really began paying attention to what he was doing. The joy in Judd's face made her breath skip for a moment, of course he was happy; he had won with his family around him, and no doubt, a girlfriend supporting him. Melissa swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth and continued to take pictures.

She scattered with the crowd as they began leaving, finding a quiet spot to look through the pictures, hoping they were good enough for her boss, "So, do you always stare at pictures of me?"

Melissa jumped, turning to see Judd stood there, grinning, "Oh! Uh, I stare at every picture I take, my boss is a bit picky. I'm sorry again for earlier."

"It's okay, as long as you're not going to call me Mr. Trump again," Judd's grin dissolved to a soft smile and it calmed Melissa, "They look great, don't be so hard on yourself. Sorry, I didn't get your name earlier."

"It's Melissa, nice to meet you," Melissa held out her hand and he shook it gently; she was a little surprised that his hand was soft, when they withdrew, she busied herself with tucking her camera into the bag, "I should get going. I need to send these to my boss."

"Yeah, of course," Judd felt a little disappointed, but she had things to do and he couldn't keep her hanging around despite what Jack said, "Maybe I'll see you around at other events," She smiled and now he realised what his brother had been saying about her beauty, she was stunning; he weakly returned the smile, watching as she turned to leave. He turned too, faced with Jack raising his brows and making various hand gestures. God, Judd hated his brother sometimes; so, Judd turned back around to follow Melissa. He found her waiting near the exit, maybe today he was being a bit lucky, "Hold on!" She turned around, a little surprised to see Judd stood there, "Hey, this sounds strange," He sighed, Melissa wondered what was going on, "Can I give you my number?"

"What?" Melissa felt completely stunned by Judd's words, she had to wonder what brought this on, guys didn't freely give their number out to her, "Why?"

"See, it's weird, I told Jack but he wasn't listening to me. I just thought we could get to know each other, it doesn't matter," But Judd still felt extremely disappointed, maybe his luck had ran dry, "Forget about it."

Melissa pursed her lips, watching as Judd moved, her Uber would be here in a moment; she carefully stopped him with a soft touch to his wrist, "Okay, I'll be leaving in a minute," She handed over her phone to Judd, he flashed her a dazzling smile, he quickly entered his number to her contact list, handing over the phone just as a car pulled up, "I'll text you later." He nodded, waving her off as she clambered into the Uber; he headed back through to the changing room, ignoring the big smile that Jack gave him.

"I hope you're taking her out."

Judd refrained from saying how unsure he felt about it, instead choosing his words more carefully, "Maybe, but she probably won't text," Jack rolled his eyes, Judd brushed him off and quickly changed into something more comfortable; they were soon heading out and Judd's phone buzzed about half-way through their journey to Judd's place, "Don't say anything." Jack just smirked, shrugging as he continued to drive.

Judd pulled out his phone to check the message, the unrecognised number made him feel a little giddy, _Hey, it's Melissa. I really enjoyed the match today._ It made him even happier to know that she'd been watching, that she wasn't just there to take pictures, she actually enjoyed the game. He saved her number first, typing out a few stupid replies that he never sent; he only looked up from his phone when he heard Jack chuckling, they'd already made it back to his house and Judd tucked his phone away, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Has _Melissa_ got you hooked?" Jack was grinning at him, damned snoop must have saw her name on Judd's phone. Judd shook his head, trying to ignore what Jack said, mostly because it felt too close to the truth, "You know you need to talk to me."

"I don't know what you want me to say. We don't even know each other yet, she seems nice but it's always easy to fake a first impression. You were the one pushing me to go for it."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Yeah, and if I told you to jump off a cliff?" That was a good point and it had Judd sighing, "You caught her like some kind of prince charming and she couldn't stop staring at you, even if she's a fan of the sport, it didn't seem to be about that, she couldn't keep her eyes off you."

"Okay, I should get going," Judd smiled, trying to avoid the conversation that Jack was starting, "Be safe, let me know when you get back." Jack nodded and Judd jumped out of the car, grabbing his things from the back-seat, he waved his brother off as Jack backed out of the drive-way and drove off; Judd headed inside, pulling out his phone once he'd put his cue-case down and dumping his backpack on the sofa. He mulled over what to send back to Melissa, settling on a very boring, _Hey, I just got home. I'm really glad you had fun._ Judd let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding, he left his phone on the coffee table and ventured into the kitchen for a small snack just to get a little energy back; when he returned to the lounge, he checked the phone while absentmindedly eating the pear he'd picked.

_I got a reply back from my boss, he loved the pictures! I don't usually send everything but you really helped me look at them in a different light. I'm off to bed soon, but I'd love to talk tomorrow if you're not too busy._

Judd felt eager for a moment, until he remembered that Oli had booked them some time on the table at the local snooker hall, Jack would be there too and was likely to bring up Melissa, he replied quickly, hoping to catch her before she fell asleep, _We can keep texting but I have plans for tomorrow so I'm not sure how responsive I'll be. I'll try to phone you once I'm finished, if that's okay? Then we could chat for a while, maybe organise to meet up, sometime before I go to Germany?_ He sent the message before he could change his mind, he headed up to his room, dropping the remnants of the pear into the bin before getting changed for bed; he needed to sleep or Jack would make it seem like Judd had been talking to Melissa all night, just as he was getting comfortable, his phone buzzed.

 _Yeah, that's fine. Goodnight Judd :)_ The little emoji made a smile spread across Judd's face, he replied with a short goodnight in return and curled into his sheets. Letting sleep wash over him.


	2. Sweet Feet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa bumps into Judd again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title based on the song "Sweet Feet" by You Me at Six.  
> I love the lyrics for this song :)

Judd kept checking his phone far too often, not even his brother's teasing affected him, he didn't mind it much; he still got to play a little, Oli didn't join in with Jack's teasing, which Judd was grateful for, Oli did laugh about it when Jack explained what was going on. They just finished up when Jack threw his arm over Judd's shoulder, "I'm hiding your phone, we're going to get some more time on the table, enjoy the break while it lasts."

Judd shrugged off Jack, rolling his eyes which only made his brother laugh, he headed through to the bar-area and ordered some drinks for them; he was thinking about how he could get back at Jack when someone fell against his arm, he turned his head, almost laughing when he saw the soft red-hair, "Melissa?" She looked up at him, straightening up rather quickly, "You really enjoy bumping into me, don't you?" Judd wasn't sure where those words came from but it was already said now; much to his relief, Melissa laughed, her eyes crinkling at the edges. His breath stalled, stuck in his chest for a moment...She was beyond beautiful, "So, what are you doing here?"

"Actually, Drew dragged me out," Melissa hinted over to a table, Judd turned his head and his heart sunk at the sight of a man sitting there, typing away on his phone, "He loves snooker, he's a little bit jealous that I met you," Judd found himself smiling as he faced her again, "If you're free now, I'm sure he'd love to speak to you."

Judd nodded, turning back to the bar to pick up the tray with the drinks on, "I just need to take these to Jack and Oli, then I'll join you," She nodded and he headed back off, sliding the tray onto the table in the room; he dropped into the chair, ignoring the look that Jack gave him, "I saw Melissa, she's here," Jack's eyebrows rose, clearly ready to say something, "She was with someone, a guy."

"And you're assuming, what? She's dating him or it's her boyfriend and she was just looking at you because of who you are? I think you're crazy."

"Well, I said I'd join them for a while," Judd grabbed his drink, wanting to escape before Jack could change his mind about how he felt, "I'll be back soon, okay?" Jack nodded, waving off Judd; he headed back, finding Melissa quickly, "Hey."

"Hey!" Melissa jumped out of her seat, pulling Judd into a hug as he put his drink down, he couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm, they sat together and he just now noticed another man was at the table with them, "This is Andrew and Elias."

"Great to meet you," Andrew shook Judd's hand, "I'm a big fan, you can thank me for getting Mel watching you."

Melissa pushed Andrew, narrowing her eyes at him, she hadn't missed that Elias' head was stuck in his phone so she grabbed it, tucking it into her jacket, "Eli, don't be rude."

Elias rolled his eyes, slouching into the chair, "Hi, nice to meet you."

"Don't mind him, he's not really a fan of snooker," Judd nodded; it felt a strange, but comfortable, to be sat here, "Anyway, I'm sure you know what it's like having an annoying little brother," Andrew laughed at the face that Elias pulled, raising his hands as Elias took his anger out on him; Melissa shook her head, turning away from them, "Sorry about this, they're both still children, even if Drew is supposed to be the oldest and setting a good example. It's been just us for a while, we lost our parents when we were still teenagers."

Judd felt a wave of emotions overwhelm him, he took a drink, unsure of what he could say to her, "What Mel means is that she enjoys being our mother, even if she pretends to hate us," Andrew pulled Melissa into a hug, smiling brightly despite the subject, "Besides, she's a spitting image of our mum, so it's a good reminder. They're always watching over us now."

"And definitely judging Eli for being glued to his phone," Elias looked a bit embarrassed but took his phone back when Melissa handed it over, "Drew's right though, I've always loved watching snooker, but I only really started enjoying your games over the last couple of years. He's a big fan."

"It's really nice to meet you, I'm glad that you enjoy the snooker. If you play, we're on a table now, if you want to join us?"

"Really?" Andrew grinned, "That would be great. Mel, do you mind?"

"Of course not, I'll be fine watching."

"I'm heading off, but thanks for asking."

"I knew that Eli, it's why I didn't ask you," Elias poked his tongue out, he finished his drink and departed, waving goodbye to them, "If he didn't look like me, I'd swear he was adopted."

Judd sniggered at that, cut off by Melissa gently pressing her hand to his wrist, "Thank you, he won't shut up about this," Judd smiled, he got up and led them through to be faced by a far too happy Jack, he put his drink down and joined Oli with Andrew following; Melissa made herself comfortable, a brow arching as Jack slid over, "Hi."

"Hey, I'm Jack, we haven't been introduced properly," Melissa smiled at him, "So, what do you think of Judd then?"

"He's very nice," Melissa chose her words carefully, she didn't want to be over stepping any marks with Jack, she had a feeling that it wasn't going to stay between them, "I'm glad he's fine with my brother joining the game, he didn't have to offer."

Jack smiled, "Good, he likes you. I can tell but I don't think he'll admit it, he wants to get to know you more. What's the next event you'll be at?"

"The Grand Prix, someone else is going for the German Masters."

"We're all going to celebrate tonight, you should join us and your brother."

"That sounds like fun, I think Drew is busy tonight. I think he's seeing somebody but he's keeping it very tight-lipped, I try to tell him he has nothing to worry about with me."

"I don't really like to tell Judd if I have a date, it feels embarrassing. I know he doesn't care, I just like keeping it private, if things get serious then I'll talk to him."

Melissa nodded, she could understand that, "Thanks, that makes sense, I don't like to pester him but I get worried sometimes." She sat back, getting more comfortable as she paid attention to the table, Judd was looking over and she smiled, giving a small wave; he quickly smiled back, turning to the game at hand.

* * *

As they headed out, Andrew pulled Melissa under his arm, grinning a little obnoxiously, "I need to get going, you stay safe. Don't let him take advantage," She looked up at him, her brows furrowing, "I saw the way you watched him, it wasn't just about the game. I don't want to see you hurt, I'd kill him."

"Drew, I'm an adult, okay? I promise, I'll run at the first sign of things turning bad," Melissa didn't think it was worth it to try and deny what he was hinting at; she was attracted to Judd, everything about him drew her in, it felt like an addiction, "I'll text you later, once I'm home."

"Let me know if you need picking up."

Melissa smiled, she shoved him off her and waved him goodbye, "Jack said you're sticking around. Is Drew off home?"

"I'm not sure what he's doing," Melissa turned to Judd, "Jack invited me, is that okay?"

"Yeah, of course. I was exhausted after the match yesterday so we didn't celebrate, I'm taking tonight and tomorrow night to relax and drink."

"Sounds good," They all headed off for a near-by night club, Jack insisted on buying to first round to treat Judd; they settled into a booth together, chatting and drinking. Round after round made Judd feel more relaxed and when Melissa settled against his chest, he couldn't find the strength to deny it happening; he felt a little lost when she would head to the bathroom, barely able to ignore the teasing from Jack and Oli. She returned, jumping up and down, "This is my favourite song!" She grabbed Judd's arm and he almost dropped his drink as he put it on the table, letting himself be dragged to the dance-floor; she danced around him and he felt mesmerised, itching to reach out for her, "Don't be shy Judd, dance with me!" She took his hands, placing them onto her hips; he wondered if this is how a deer in headlights felt, so scared of the unknown, not sure whether to run away from something so dazzling. Judd held his ground though and let the music take him, his ears perking when Melissa giggled; her arms wrapping around his neck, they moved together with the music.

Melissa stepped a little closer to Judd, her breath hot against his neck; Judd's eyes scanned the crowd, everyone around them was too caught up in themselves to notice and he couldn't see Jack or Oli in the booth that they'd previously occupied. Melissa seemed loose and free, the alcohol probably helped with that, Judd didn't want to feel like he was taking advantage of her--they were only dancing, no meaning behind it; or that's what he told himself because when she gazed up at him beneath long lashes, it made him feel far too hot under the collar. Nothing in Melissa's eyes told him that this was just dancing, she almost looked invested in him and Judd found himself taking a step back; it seemed to break whatever trance she'd been in and they departed from the floor.

Judd followed Melissa out of the club, the chill of the night-air sent a shiver through his body, he watched Melissa stumble and he reached out to catch her, "I'll help you get home," Her response came mumbled, her arms flailing to push him away but he held on despite it and began leading her back to his house; luckily it wasn't too much of a walk and if she wanted to be uncooperative in her drunken state then he didn't really have a choice. By the time they made it, Melissa was half-asleep against Judd's arm, he picked her up and carried her up to his room; he would rather crash on the sofa, she was better off having his bed. As Judd placed Melissa down, her hands came up to his face, her thumb brushing across his cheek, "Sleep."

"You're eyes, they're beautiful," Judd found himself frozen, he knew Melissa was drunk, she probably didn't know what she was saying...Or how much it affected him. Melissa's thumb ran down Judd's skin, over his lips, "I really want to know you. Would you kiss me?"

Judd swallowed, of course he wanted to and it was stupid, they'd just met but he hadn't felt like this before; maybe, just maybe, love at first sight really existed. Or, whatever this was, because Judd wanted to kiss Melissa, he wanted to hold her in his arms, chase away all her worries and it felt crazy; instead, he pulled away from her grip and removed her shoes, "Get some rest, we can talk tomorrow." Judd felt the guilt stab at him as Melissa sighed, curling herself around his sheets. _God_ , his bed would smell like her tomorrow; Judd retreated from the room quickly, grabbing a blanket and pillow on his way downstairs, if he'd stayed a moment longer, he wouldn't have been able to hold back. Judd made himself as comfortable on the sofa as he could, staring at the ceiling; he couldn't stop thinking about Melissa...He was doomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a few chapters already completed. I'm getting a couple up fairly quickly because my ideas for this seem to keep growing :")


	3. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa talks things over with her best-friend. Judd acts a little impulsive.

When Melissa woke, she held a hand to her head, feeling dizzy and a little bit stupid, she pulled her phone out and blinked wearily at the texts from her brother, _I thought you'd be home by now._ _Mel, are you okay?_ _Please at least get back to me in the morning. I'm worried._

She slowly sat up, taking in the surroundings...Judd had brought her to his house, let her sleep in his bed; Melissa shook off the feeling, keeping grounded as she replied to Drew, _I'm fine, I drank too much last night and pretty much passed out when I got in. Sorry for worrying you, I'll see you later._ Melissa groaned, dropping back onto the mattress, she couldn't really believe what she'd done last night; pulling Judd to the dance-floor, dancing like that--putting his hands on her, she was crazy. Melissa held her hands over her face, taking a few minutes to just breathe and try to forget about it; she quickly booked an Uber and slowly pried herself from the bed, she pulled her shoes on then made her way downstairs.

Judd sat quietly on the sofa, barely watching the tv, when he saw Melissa, he smiled at her, "Hey, how do you feel? I've got some paracetamol if you need it."

"Oh, thanks, I just booked an Uber," Melissa slowly made her way into the lounge, watching as Judd walked into the kitchen, he filled up a glass with water and put it down along with some tablets; she slowly headed over, quickly taking the tablets with a big gulp of water, "I'm a little disoriented, I've been told I'm a bad drunk. Sorry if I said, or did, anything strange." And Melissa knew exactly what it was, but if she could play it off then maybe Judd would just put it down to her being drunk; she definitely would have kissed him if he'd made the move.

"It's okay," Judd watched her finish the glass of water, he felt a little disappointed but he shouldn't have been lying awake for half the night, thinking about what might have happened if he'd just kissed her, "I just thought I'd let you know that I leave in six days, we'll have to plan something."

Melissa nodded, a notification went off and she looked at her phone, not sure how to feel about leaving, "That's my Uber, I'll see you soon." Judd nodded at her, watching as she left; he wanted to ask her to stay but he wasn't sure if she would agree or not; then he wasn't sure if it was a good idea. He couldn't stop thinking about her thumb on his lips and what she'd said about his eyes, he knew he needed to talk about what had happened, to Jack; even if he would get teased, he just needed to talk.

* * *

"Wait, and you went home with him?"

"Lyn! You know what I'm like drunk, I remember him asking where I lived but I wouldn't answer, so he took me to his and let me stay. I was insane! I made him dance with me, I was touching his face. I asked him if he would kiss me!" Melissa buried her head in her hands, groaning at the reminder of what she'd done.

Lyn rubbed Melissa's arm, "Mel, I'm sure he just put it down to you being drunk."

"I was, he was too and I thought it would make him unwind a little...Am I a bad person? I do want to get to know him, you know I'm not the type of person for just having a one time thing, but I dunno, maybe the alcohol wasn't helping. I really wanted him to do something."

"There's nothing wrong with being attracted to someone. Only an idiot wouldn't think you're worth holding onto, which explains your ex."

Melissa laughed, grateful for Lyn trying to cheer up, she rested her chin on her arms, sighing, "He's going to Germany soon for the next competition, he wants to meet up."

"What's the problem with that?"

"I don't know if I can face him after what I did. Just thinking about it makes me embarrassed. What if I ignore him until he gets back? I could say I had a project with work, it'll save feeling like an idiot around him."

"Mel, you can't run away from this. How long will he be gone for? You'll miss him."

"It's only a four day competition, so he'll be gone, at most, for five days. It would be just short of two weeks, if I start ignoring him now."

"You've really got this planned out, huh?" Melissa nodded, maybe she was being rash and Lyn was right, but it felt better than assuming Judd thought she was an idiot, or a regular drunk that kissed anyone, "Give it a couple of days, see how you feel. You said he was planning on continuing his celebrations, so wait that out. Let him reach out to you."

"Okay. Can we have a movie night then? I don't want to risk going out and bumping into him."

"Whatever you need."

* * *

Jack, to Judd, surprisingly didn't make fun of him, he just patted his back and told him that the rest of the guys were joining them tonight; Judd was grateful for the distraction, Jack must have saw the relief in his face, "Try not to dwell on it, enjoy yourself. You deserve it. If she doesn't remember, it's probably best not to bring it up."

"Yeah."

When they headed out for the night, Judd decided to let it go and drink away his worries; he probably drank a little too much, but he didn't care. Jack was right about not dwelling on what ifs, it was better to have fun, dance a little and wake up tomorrow with a killer hangover; Oli pulled him into a few pictures and he could only imagine what he looked like, "Dude, there's someone checking you out."

Judd couldn't even be bothered to glance a look, he pushed Oli off and made his way to the toilets; when he came out, someone wrapped themselves around his arm and he glanced down, "Hey, you're really cute!"

"That's kind of you," He _really_ couldn't be bothered to deal with this; he was never one for one-night-stands and despite the alcohol, he only thought about Melissa, "I have a girlfriend."

She looked surprised for a moment and then disappointed, "Okay, I just thought since you were out having fun with your friends...It's fine." Then she vanished and Judd returned to his friends, Jack curiously raising his brows, he just shrugged and took another drink that Oli pushed into his hand.

* * *

"Oh my God!" Lyn nearly jumped at Melissa's voice, she leaned over and read the message that she was looking at, "He's drunk."

"He thought of you!" Lyn read over the message again, _I called you my girlfriend tonight, hope you don't mind, someone was trying to flirt with me. And I'd kiss you._ "See, he would kiss you and you were getting worried about it."

"He's only saying it because he's drunk."

"So were you. Do you really think he doesn't mean it?" Melissa shrugged, she put her phone onto the table and sighed, "You meant what you said."

"I did. I don't know what to do."

"All you can do is meet up with him and talk things over, get to know each other, spend some time chatting while he's away. I think something good will come out of this. You're the happiest I've ever seen you, the way you talk about him. You're in this rabbit hole Mel."

"I know. Okay, I'll take your advice, I'll see if he says anything tomorrow."

"Good!" Lyn smiled, hugging Melissa with one arm, "Now, lets do some face masks!"


	4. Taking a Leap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judd and Melissa get to know each other better.

Judd felt like an idiot, he was far too hungover to keep thinking about it, it was bound to make him feel worse; he couldn't believe that he'd text Melissa while he was drinking, he wondered if this is how she'd felt, waking up in his bed. _His bed_ , that still smelled of pineapple and flowers...He needed to talk to Melissa, get everything off his chest, he grabbed his phone and sent a text before he could talk himself out of it, _Can we meet up tomorrow? I need to explain myself._ He took a deep breath, staring at his phone until it lit up with a new message.

_Sure, let me know the time and place._

_The Costa on the corner at 1 pm._ And Melissa replied with a simple okay, so he put his phone down and headed into the bathroom for a much needed shower.

* * *

Melissa fiddled with her cup while she waited for Judd to turn up, she knew what the conversation would be about and she realised she should really heed Lyn's advice about facing things head-on; when Judd walked through the door, her heart jumped, he waved and headed to the counter. He joined her shorty after, drink in hand, "Hey, how are you?"

"Still a little hungover," Judd made himself comfortable, placing his coffee on the table to cool down, "A few of the guys came over last night and we celebrated a little more. I didn't feel like going out again after the night before, which is why I wanted to talk with you."

"Yeah, I guessed you were out. I know that the text was just some silly drunken thing."

Judd's eyebrows rose at that, "No. Well, yes I was drunk and acting a little rash, maybe silly. But I thought that you deserved to know. When you were drunk, you asked me--"

"I know," Melissa didn't mean to cut Judd off, but she wasn't sure if she could face those words, even if admitting it was just as hard, "Sorry. I know what I did, what I said, I wanted to play it off because I was embarrassed. I didn't want you to think I wasn't serious about getting to know you."

"Melissa, I was getting worried that you would think the same of me. I went head-first and told someone I had girlfriend, when I was thinking about it, you were the one my mind," Judd chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "I thought it would sound really weird. I barely know anything about you and when you complimented my eyes, I couldn't stop thinking about kissing you. I kept thinking about how different things might have been that night if I had. But I didn't want to take advantage of you and I didn't want you to think that's all I cared about. I want to learn about you and date. If that's okay."

"Judd, I'd love to. Ever since I bumped into you, you were always on my mind. I didn't want to come across as some weird fangirl who just wanted to get in your pants and then brag about it."

"I don't believe you'd be like that. Why don't we start getting to know each other now?" Judd smiled and Melissa nodded.

* * *

By the time either one noticed the sky starting to grow dark and the emptying coffee shop, they'd gone through a couple more drinks and talked the day away, Melissa checked the time and quickly realised that she should get home for something to eat, "I've really enjoyed talking with you, it's getting late. I should be getting home." Really, she hoped Judd would ask her to stick around for food.

"Yeah, they'll be wanting to kick us out. I know a good restaurant, about five minutes around the corner," Judd smiled softly, feeling giddy when she smiled in return, "If you'd like to go?"

"That sounds really nice, I was just thinking about food," Melissa tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, "And it would be lovely having a meal with you," Judd had to refrain from reaching out to touch Melissa's hair, he picked up his cup instead and finished off his drink; then he rose from his seat and placed his hand out for Melissa to take, "Oh, thank you." She took it and pulled herself up; she let her hand linger and smiled when Judd entwined their fingers together. They left the shop and headed for the restaurant.

* * *

When the door opened, Lyn looked up from her book, smiling softly at the appearance of Melissa, "You're back late."

"Sorry," Melisa hung up her coat and bag then joined Lyn on the sofa, "Today went well, we talked a lot, about everything. He took me to a restaurant, he walked me back."

"Is that all?" Lyn looked like she was expecting something more, "Please tell me that he kissed you!"

"No, no. But he invited me to China, I was talking with him about Germany and that I wasn't going for it. You know how we only stick to Europe and he was talking about China, if I was going to take pictures. When I said no, he asked me to go with him and just tell my boss I was taking some days off and could send pictures."

"Oh my! I can't believe he's asked you to go on vacation with him, that's really big. Total bonus if you could turn it into a work thing, there's no way Jay would fork out for it. Is Judd paying for everything?"

"Yeah, it's not until April. I think it's because of the time difference, we wouldn't be able to talk much. If it goes well, Jay might think about expanding."

"The Welsh Open is still undecided then? Will Judd be playing?"

"He's playing but I don't know who's going. I'm a little worried, I'd told him I'd think things over, he's been going with his brother for competitions recently and I'm not sure how much Jack would like me tagging along."

"I'm sure he'd be happy for Judd, it's his decision not Jack's. Are you two meeting up again before he's off to Germany?"

"Yeah, he wants to see me the day before he goes, they're heading over a day before the competition to get settled in and get some practice done."

"You could always ask about China again, I'm sure he respects that you're thinking it over. But at least ask Jay tomorrow, just in case you decide to go."

"Okay, I'll definitely think it over and see what Jay says."


	5. The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Past baggage rolls up to Melissa's door.

Melissa kept busy with work, but seeing Judd off had made her heart ache; Jay had been far more accommodating to the idea of her leaving than what she'd expected, he practically jumped on the idea of her taking pictures in China, but she wanted to wait until Judd returned from Germany to tell him the good news. Unfortunately, Melissa wasn't going to Cardiff for the Welsh Open, someone else had been picked but she had things that would keep her busy and she would see Judd before he left for Cardiff; she'd expressed her disappointment and sympathy when he'd gotten beat in the German Masters.

Melissa knew he'd be back by now but she wanted to let him rest, a knock at her room door stopped her typing and she jumped up from her desk to open it, "Hey Lyn, what's up?"

"Your boyfriend's here," She kept her voice low, Melissa could only assume that Lyn had let Judd into the apartment, "I've got to head out for a shift, so I'll be leaving you guys alone. Play nice."

Melissa just shook her head, she followed Lyn through to the lounge, Lyn waved goodbye to Judd and Melissa then was out of the door, "I thought you'd be resting."

"I couldn't, it hasn't been the same texting and calling. I needed to see you," Melissa swallowed, of course she'd wanted to see Judd too, since the moment he'd told her he was on the flight home, "Your flatmate is very interesting."

Melissa laughed at that, she could only imagine what Lyn had said, "Come on, sit down. Do you want a drink?"

"I'm okay, thanks," They sat together on the sofa and Judd took Melissa's hand, "I missed you."

"I missed you too. I got some good news!" Judd smiled and Melissa couldn't help but smile too, "Jay said it was fine to go to China, he's really looking forward to getting some pictures too. So, if you're still happy with me coming along, I'd love to go."

"Great! I'll sort everything out, so just make sure you get together anything you need. We have a few days to waste before the Grand Prix."

"I know, I was really rooting for you while you were gone, it's a shame."

"But now I can prepare more and win it," Judd chuckled, Melissa ran her thumb over his hand, smiling softly, "Will you be at Cardiff?"

"No, someone else will be. I've got a few other assignments, a local school has asked for us to do a piece on their new community building. I'll be cheering for you from here."

"It's a short competition, so I'll have to try and not miss you so much."

"Oh! I actually wanted to ask a question about China," Melissa felt a little nervous, but she needed to ask, otherwise it would keep eating away at her, "Is Jack okay with me going?"

Judd furrowed his brows, then grinned, "I honestly haven't asked, I didn't really think it had anything to do with him."

"Of course, I just don't want to be stepping on anyone's feet."

"I doubt he'll care, but I'll bring it up anyway, if it'll help settle your mind," Melissa nodded, she was so grateful of Judd thinking about her feelings, he was the exact opposite of her ex, not that she wanted to be making comparisons, "What do you wanna do?"

"Lyn will be out until late, we could watch a film and I can put a meal together for us. If you'd like?"

"That sounds really good. I haven't had a beautiful lady cook for me in a while," Melissa rose a brow; of course Judd had past relationships, just as she had, she shouldn't be surprised, "The last was my mum, when I still lived at home."

"I'm not sure if I'll live up to such a high bar."

Judd smiled, he rose his free hand and brushed back Melissa's hair, "You've got the beautiful part down perfectly," Melissa felt like time had stopped, she had been called a lot of things, but never beautiful; she touched his hand on her cheek, curling her fingers over his wrist. She was sure Judd could feel the way her pulse rushed, how she subconsciously wet her lips with a slight poke from her tongue, the way her eyes drifted to his lips. Then Judd was leaning in and Melissa let out a soft breath, "You don't need to be nervous, push me away if it's too soon," But Melissa only held onto Judd's hand and their lips touched; his kiss was soft, Melissa melted into the kiss, her hand sliding to his arm so she could hold him closer. Their mouths parted together, Judd's tongue eased into her mouth, Melissa held the fabric of his top as their tongues worked together; when they parted for a breath, Judd spoke again, "That was nice."

Melissa laughed, feeling her nervousness depart with it, "I'm really happy you did that."

"Good. I've been thinking about it since I left for Germany, and I'd really like you to be my girlfriend."

"Of course, Lyn was already calling you my boyfriend anyway, so she'll be happy to hear it's true. Uh, if you're okay with me telling her, I tell her everything."

"Tell whoever you want, I'll be happy," Melissa smiled, they settled back onto the couch, Judd slid his arm over Melissa's shoulder while she looked for something for them to watch on Netflix; he watched as she hovered over a romance film before moving on, "What was that?"

"Oh, it's a romance film. I don't know if it will be your thing, it's one of my favourite Netflix films though."

"I won't know if it's for me if you don't put it on."

"Okay, but let me know if you want me to turn it off."

Judd just smiled at Melissa, she started up the film and she cuddled into him, "I think I could get used to this." Melissa shook her head, chuckling softly at his words.

* * *

While Melissa was finishing up their meal, her phone buzzed and she checked the message, _Hey! I'm conveniently going to Jane's for the night. Have fun, love you._ Melissa glared at the message from Lyn, she huffed and shoved her phone into her pocket; she plated up their food then slid the plates onto the breakfast bar. Judd returned from the bathroom, a smile on his face, "That smells lovely," He took a seat and Melissa sat town too, "It looks even better."

"Thank you. I hope it's okay, I made the chicken marinate myself. There was this recipe I found but I didn't have everything so I just made some of it up," Melissa watched Judd take a bite, he hummed in appreciation and began eating more; she smiled to herself and focused on her own plate, it was better she thought it would be. They took to talking a little bit about the film and when they were both finished, Judd jumped up from his seat and took the plates, "You don't have to clean up, I'll be fine doing it."

"I want to, besides, I was sat on my phone while you were busy cooking. It's the least I can do."

"Let me dry then," Melissa hopped up too, grabbing a towel on her way to the sink; they stood there smiling happily as they went through the dishes. When everything was finished, Judd reached to empty the sink, a smirk slid across his face and instead, he splashed some water at Melissa; she shrieked in response, turning to him with an aghast face, "Hey! What are you doing?"

Judd grinned, splashing a little more water at her; she reached over and splashed some over him. They were laughing like idiots, just splashing water at each other, it ended with Judd wrapping his arms tightly around Melissa, "I could really get used to this."

"You're silly, like a child."

"That's funny, Jack always says that," Judd pried one arm from Melissa to drain the sink, "Shouldn't your roommate be back by now?"

"She said that she's staying out for the night."

"That seems sudden."

Melissa wasn't sure if she should tell the entire truth to Judd, so she tried to word it differently from what Lyn had texted, "She said she didn't want to be intruding."

"I see, but we haven't really done anything special."

"We had a water fight, she'd be up in arms about that. We haven't cleaned up."

Judd laughed, he kissed Melissa and smiled softly, "It's only a little water, it'll dry," He picked her up and placed her on the breakfast bar, which had avoided their battle, "What do you want to do now? I don't have anyone waiting for me at home. If you want to have a movie night? I could go out and grab some snacks."

"I have a feeling you'd start a popcorn fight," Melissa grinned and Judd tried to look innocent; it did sound like fun though, she could also clean up while Judd was gone and avoid any strange looks from Lyn tomorrow if bubble marks were left on the worktops, "You can pick a film this time then! I'm addicted to romance films and I think you'll get sick of them after a while."

"I don't know, I enjoyed the one we watched. But of course I don't mind choosing something," Judd's phone began ringing and he sighed, stepping away from Melissa so he could pull it free from his pocket, "I need to take this, it's Jack. I'll head to the store now too."

Melissa nodded, he answered his phone and waved to her on his way out of the door; she jumped off the breakfast bar and cleaned up the mess that they had made. She then walked back into the lounge and dropped onto the sofa, deciding now was a good time to respond to Lyn's text message, _We're just watching a few films, I think he'll be heading off soon, Jack just called him._

Lyn's reply came quicker than she'd expected, _You're supposed to be seducing him! I didn't leave you alone for nothing._

_It's far too soon for me. He just asked me to officially be his girlfriend and he kissed me!_

The reply from Lyn came even quicker the second time, _Finally!! I'm so happy for you. I'll accept the fact that it might be too soon to go thinking about **that** , but I want all the juicy gossip afterwards._

Melissa rolled her eyes, replying with a simple, _Okay._ before tucking her phone away again, sighing as she sunk into the sofa. After what felt like forever, a knock came at the door and Melissa had to wonder why Judd didn't just walk in with a knock; regardless, she jumped up and opened the door, "He--" Her excited _hey_ evaporated on her tongue, turning quickly to spite, "You're not welcome here Liam."

"I just wanted to talk, I saw Lyn and just kinda figured you were still living together--"

"So what? You followed her? Do you realise how weird that sounds?"

"No! I have a friend who lives in this building and I saw her when I was leaving one day. I heard keys jingle and just turned my head."

"You need to seriously get away from me though. Do you have any idea what pain you caused me?"

"Lissa, I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you, I realise that I was an idiot, I know what I did and I never want to repeat that."

"Stop, you don't have any right any more to call me that!"

"I'm sorry. I miss you, I never realised what I was losing," Liam hung his head, he rested his palm on her door and took a step forward, "Please, five minutes to talk properly."

Melissa frowned, pushing him back, "No, I said what I needed to. You ruined me and I'm done listening to anything you have to say to me."

"I'm begging you!" Liam took her hand.

"Get off me," Melissa shook her arm, pushing him away from her, "Get off!"

"What's going on?" Liam turned his head at the new voice, Melissa felt her heart fill with joy; she looked at Judd, her eyes pleading with him. He didn't think before prying the man from Melissa, she took a step back, "I think you should leave," Liam huffed, storming off; Judd stepped into the apartment, placing the bag near the coat-rack. He gently shut the door, a little startled when Melissa jumped into his arms, Judd held her tightly, "It's okay, I'm here."

"He has no right to be at my door," Melissa could feel tears beginning to sting her eyes, "I'm sorry you saw that."

"No, you don't need to apologise," Judd kissed the top of her head, just holding her as she calmed down, "Who was that? He seemed like an ass."

Melissa giggled, raising her head to look at Judd, "He is. It's a lot of baggage, far too much to unpack."

"Okay," He brought his hands up to her cheeks, "Come on, lets cuddle and watch a film." Melissa smiled, she grabbed the bag and let Judd hang his jacket back up while she settled into the couch; she unpacked the bag, smiling when Judd joined her on the couch. He slid his arm over Melissa's shoulder and she happily cuddled into Judd's embrace; he looked through Netflix and found something for both of them to enjoy.

* * *

Judd shifted on the sofa, yawning softly, it was getting really late now, he should leave Melissa so she could get to sleep; he looked down at her, smiling when he saw her fast asleep against his arm. He didn't want to move in case he woke her, but they couldn't stay here, it wouldn't be comfortable; Judd kept his arm steady behind Melissa's head, using his other to hook under her legs, he moved slowly to keep her still and carefully lifted her from the sofa. He carried her to the bedroom where he'd seen Lyn knock earlier and set Melissa on her bed; she stretched in her sleep and Judd smiled softly, reaching to touch a lock of her hair. He pulled a blanket over her then turned to leave the room, spotting the PC still turned on; Judd figured the least he could do was turn it off for Melissa, he walked over and pressed the mouse to wake it up.

Judd blinked at the article that stared him in the face, it took his breath to read the words that Melissa had written, her words made him realise that she definitely wasn't just a pretty face; he'd learned over the last couple of weeks that her personality was just as dazzling too. Judd saved the document and shut down the PC; he headed back through to the lounge and locked the door before making himself comfortable on the sofa. He didn't want to leave Melissa alone after what he'd witnessed and he'd fallen asleep plenty of times while engrossed in something on the t.v, so he knew he'd be fine on the sofa; especially between the door and Melissa's bedroom, in case something did happen during the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's watching the snooker :D
> 
> I've now wrote a whole snooker-based chapter, this tournament is killing me.


	6. Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa has another run-in with Liam and her relationship with Judd grows stronger.

Melissa woke with a start, grabbing at her blanket, she took a deep breath and thought back to last night; she could remember feeling tired about half-way through the film that Judd had picked, but she didn't want to ruin the moment so she dozed off in his arms, which meant that he'd carried her to bed. She shook her head, glad that the bad memories of Liam had fled from her mind; Melissa got out of bed, poking her head into the lounge, she saw a pair of legs hanging from the sofa and she smiled. Quietly, she approached, smiling at how soft Judd's face looked while he slept; Melissa reached down, brushing a finger over his cheek.

Judd stirred in his sleep, he held Melissa's hand and smiled up at her, "Morning," Melissa smiled back at him, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. Did you? You must have been tired."

"I was, I slept really. I'm going to get a shower, if you wanna jump in, you're welcome to once I'm finished."

"I shouldn't really impose any longer, I need to get back anyway and change my clothes. Thank you for having me over," Judd leaned up and kissed Melissa, "Let me know if that guy bothers you again."

"Of course, let me know when you get home." Melissa saw Judd out, waving him off before locking the door behind him; she sighed then headed to the bathroom to shower.

* * *

Just as Judd was finishing getting ready, a knock came at his door, he went to answer it while pulling his top on; he rolled his eyes when he saw Jack there, "What? I'm here to remind you that you have practice booked. I had a feeling you might have forgotten since you were busy with Melissa."

"I didn't forget, we were only watching movies, it wasn't anything special," Judd shook his head and went into the lounge, Jack following behind him; he picked up his cue-case and poked his tongue out at Jack, "I'm ready, if you're done trying to mess with me," Jack shrugged, grinning in response, "I'm bringing Melissa along for the competition, just so you know, and she's coming to China."

"Okay, as long as you stay focused. Come on, you know Oli will be worse than me if we're late." Judd chuckled, he let Jack carry his cue-case while he pulled on a jacket and locked his front door.

* * *

When the qualifiers finally rolled around, Judd found that he was excited; they picked Melissa up on their way to Cannock. The three hour journey felt like it took two minutes, Judd felt a little disappointed when they dropped Melissa off at the hotel to check in and get settled, while Jack had Judd getting some more practice in; despite knowing that Judd didn't play until the second day, Jack was very insistent.

Melissa happily waved them off though and went to go check-in and find her room; with everything settled, she pulled out her phone and called Andrew, "Hey, I just got to the hotel."

_"Good, I know it's only a couple of days, but make sure they look after you."_

"I will, we're going to explore a little tomorrow before Judd has practice. I think we're going to chill tonight, order something from the hotel."

_"That'll probably be expensive."_

"I know, I feel so bad, Judd already paid for my room, which he refused to tell me the cost of. And you should see it! It's practically the size of my lounge. I don't think I'd have the money to do this myself, I'll have to offer him some money though or I'll feel guilty."

 _"That sounds just like you,"_ Andrew laughed and Melissa sighed, _"Try not to worry too much, I'm sure he would have said something if it was an issue. Look at it as your boyfriend treating you to something nice."_

"Yeah, I'm really grateful of course, I just don't enjoy people spending loads of money on me. Maybe it's because I always used to spend on Liam and he rarely did anything for me, I'm too used to being in a position where I'm spending. I don't want Judd to feel the way that I did, getting nothing in return for such nice things."

_"Well you could always seduce him."_

"No! You're as bad as Lyn. I really like him, of course I think he's gorgeous, but it isn't about that. I want someone who won't take advantage of me."

_"I'm joking! He seems like a really nice guy, I think you've found someone who'll treat you right."_

"Thanks, I'm glad you think so," A knock came at the door, causing Melissa to turn her head, "There's someone at my door, I'll talk to you later," They said their goodbyes and Melissa placed her phone onto the bedside table then went to answer the door, her jaw dropped when she saw Liam there, "What the fuck? Did you follow me?"

"We never got to have that chat."

"I don't want to either. Go away."

"I just want you to hear me out," Liam stepped forward and Melissa automatically stepped back from him, he shut the door, blocking her escape, "I won't hurt you, please."

"You promised not to hurt me before and you did. Now you're keeping me trapped in my own hotel room, leave Liam, you being here isn't going to change how I feel."

"Let me talk, you don't need to listen," Melissa shook her head, she wasn't going to have a chance to leave while he was here anyway, she didn't even have a choice in this matter; here he was again, making everything about him, "I know I fucked up, I should have treat you better. Lissa, I've really come to learn how much I love you and I've lost you, it kills me to think how I ruined everything between us," He slowly reached out, gently touching her arm, sighing softly when she flinched at the touch, "See? I can't even hold you anymore, I'm so fucked up, I need you back and I **will** treat you better."

Then he was backing Melissa up, she felt her pulse race, every inch of her screaming to push Liam away, but she couldn't find the strength against him; he'd broken her beyond saving. When her phone rang, she took advantage of the distraction and shook him loose and grabbed it, answering without looking at who was calling; Liam looked furious and she jumped, "H-help!"

_"What room?"_

"207."

Liam lunged at her, grabbing the phone and throwing it across the room, "Didn't you miss me? You're fucking that guy I saw before, aren't you? Lissa, why can't you tell me? Is he forcing you? Do I need to fight him? I bet that was him calling, you shouldn't give your number to guys, remember what happened before," Melissa couldn't forget, when Liam had threw her phone off their balcony onto a busy road then nearly had her going over the edge too, before he pulled her back and threw her through the glass door; she still had the scars on her legs from where she'd been cut, "I know what he was looking for, I did it to keep you safe."

"You did it to control me, like you are now."

"You ungrateful bitch," Melissa closed her eyes as his hand came rushing down to her face but the blow never came, "Get off me! Lissa is mine," She pried her eyes open, seeing Judd and Jack hold Liam back, "No!"

Three police officers rushed into the room, two of them held Liam, handcuffing him, while the other stood in front of Melissa, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

Melissa shook her head at Judd, the police officer in front of her spoke quietly, "We'll need a statement, let the hotel reception know when you're ready. We'll get rid of him for now." 

She nodded again, then they were leaving, with Liam thrashing around in their grip; Melissa dropped onto the bed, taking a few deep breaths and when a hand touched her shoulder, she jumped, "It's me, okay? I won't hurt you," Melissa pressed her faced into Judd's top, her sobs came quick and Judd ran his hand over her back, holding her close, "I'm here. We'll help you keep him away, a restraining order. Whatever it takes," She slowed her breathing, trying to calm down, then Judd spoke, quiet and careful, "I'll kill him if he touches you again."

"No--" Her voice broke and she rubbed her face, looking up to Judd, "Don't get in trouble for him, he isn't worth it," Melissa assessed the room, spotting her phone on the small vanity table, "My phone. Where did Jack go?"

"He's sorting our stuff, I'm not worried about your phone. It can be replaced but you can't," Judd cupped her face, delicately brushing away her tears with his thumbs, "Don't cry. He's gone."

"I--" Melissa realised she still hadn't explained everything to Judd, but he was still here, grounding her like he could erase the past, "Liam's my ex, all he did was control me, he made me feel like I owed everything to him. He hit me, threw me across rooms...He was always so nice in public, and I couldn't say anything, he'd threatened my life more than once."

"From now on, I'll protect you," Melissa smiled softly, she took a deep breath, relaxing herself, "How do you feel?"

"A little better, thank you for being here," Judd smiled, leaning down to kiss her softly; she brought her hand up to hold his as their lips moved together. When they broke the kiss, Judd pressed their forehead's together, "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. I want to be here whenever you need me. I'm glad I decided to call you."

"Me too, this is the second time you've kept me safe from him."

"I need to check on Jack. Will you be okay for a few minutes?" Melissa nodded, pressing a quick kiss to Judd's lips before he left. She shook off the feeling of how Liam had treat her and got up to grab her phone; Melissa checked it over and sighed when she realised it was okay; she sat on the bed and sent a quick message to Lyn to explain what had happened. Melissa knew if Andrew found out, he'd be furious so she wanted to keep it quiet until she got a restraining order, then at least he would know that something was being done about it.

When Judd returned, Melissa smiled at him, "I was just letting Lyn know. I should tell Drew since I was on the phone to him before but I don't want him to get angry. I think it'll be best after a restraining order is done."

"Yeah, I know you wouldn't want to upset him. I won't say anything until you do."

"Thanks. I realise it might be putting you in an awkward spot, you and Drew have really been getting along."

"Hey, don't worry about that," Judd smiled softly, he sat besides Melissa and pulled her into his arms, "I'll always put you first and I'm sure that Drew would feel the same. He'd never want to pressure you into talking about something that you don't want to. Besides, since we've been getting closer, he kinda threatened me. He wants to protect you, I understand why after seeing what Liam's like. I want to keep you safe as well."

"Drew has good intentions, sometimes it doesn't come across that way."

"I understand it. I know he wants to look after you, I don't blame him, I'm the same with Jack and he doesn't have a problematic ex, but I don't want to see him get hurt."

"Problematic ex?" Melissa shook her head, laughing at his choice of words, "I suppose that's one thing to call Liam, I'm not sure I'd be so kind."

"It's the first thing that came to mind. I'm glad it cheered you up. Come on, let's see what we can order to eat and watch something." Melissa nodded, unable to contain a smile; she was so happy to have Judd by her side.

* * *

With Judd safely through the qualifiers, Melissa sighed in relief, her head turning when the room door opened, he put away his cue before turning to her, "I thought that would never end! It felt like forever," He laughed and walked over to place a kiss on her lips, he looked at her as her hands ran over his shoulders, "I love seeing you in these clothes."

"Oh? They're nothing special."

"You just look really nice in them," Melissa pulled Judd into a quick kiss, "Congratulations on the win. I'll let you get changed."

Judd laughed, pecking her lips before he stepped back and quickly changed into something more comfortable; he packed away his things carefully, then pulled on a jacket, "I'll be so happy to get back home, and then Jack will have me training."

"It's working though, the Masters and the Grand Prix! Hopefully some luck for the World Championship."

"I know there's a while until that, but I'd love for you to come along, as my date not a photographer."

"I'd love to!" Melissa smiled, she jumped up from her seat and grabbed Judd's bag, "I'm carrying this," He grinned at her, pulling her close so he could press a kiss to her head; they departed from the arena and took the short walk to the hotel. They headed to Judd's room and Melissa placed the bag in the wardrobe, "It's very similar to mine."

"Yeah, they're usually all the same layout, I don't think I've ever been surprised when I've stayed here," Judd put his cue-case down onto the table then walked over to Melissa and hugged her, "You should get some rest too."

"I'm not tired yet, I think I'm still excited about you winning today. I make it sound like you won the whole competition, but it was just a qualifier." She laughed and Judd smiled, shaking his head; but he was so happy that she got this excited about a win.

"Yeah, but we'll have to leave early tomorrow, we have a long drive."

"I know. I'm sad that you're not at the Shoot-Out."

"I'll have to leave you hard at work, it's not my thing and I've got training planned. I think Jack's testing how long it'll take for me to check my phone. I'm just happy you're not here to take pictures, it's nice to have you here supporting me."

"I like supporting you anyway, no matter where you are," Melissa glanced at her watch, Judd was right, she should really get to sleep before the long drive home tomorrow; she wouldn't be home for long before heading to Watford for the Shoot-Out, "Judd, before I go, there was something I wanted to talk to you about," He looked curious, his brows raising at her words, "It's just something I've been thinking, with what happened the other day, Liam always called me Lissa, it was _his_ name. But I want to take it back, and you always call me Melissa, so I'd really like it if you helped me to take it from being his."

Judd felt a little speechless, he softly kissed her, a smile breaking out on his face, "I know we've been serious for a while, even before the labels, and I've been really nervous about giving you a cute nickname. I'd really like to start though, and believe me, Lissa, it'll be the beginning."

"I hope that means you've prepared some cheesy ones too! There's not really a nickname for Judd, is there?" Melissa thought about it, most people with shorter names rarely got a nickname, but she wanted one for Judd, that was special to them, "I guess I'll have to stick to a boring cheesy one for now, but I'll think of something," She grinned, reluctantly breaking their embrace, "I'm going to get some sleep. Goodnight darling."

Judd chuckled, he loved Melissa's determination, "Night Lissa." He waved her off and once she'd left, he sighed softly; Judd had wanted to reach out, keep her beside him and he was sure that she would have stayed but he'd chickened out. He really needed to sleep...


	7. Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa and Judd take the next step in their relationship.

Throughout the journey home, Melissa let Jack and Judd talk with each other while she sent various messages to Lyn about what had happened during the previous night, _It seems like I can't hint at anything! At least he's happy with a nickname, but I tried to make it really obvious that I didn't want to leave. What am I supposed to do?_

_Either he's not noticing and you need to literally jump on him or he's worried that it's too soon. Don't forget, you were thinking that way too._

_I know and I'm not trying to rush things, I feel really strongly about him, I don't want to ruin anything._

_Mel, you're crazy, I bet he feels the same. Just talk to him._

_I'm busy the next few days, it'll probably help a little._ Melissa sat back, staring out of the window as she thought over Lyn's words; she still kept tuned out of the conversation that Jack and Judd were having.

* * *

Melissa got dropped off at home first, she kissed Judd on the cheek and waved the two of them off before heading up to her apartment; once she was through the door, Lyn jumped up from her seat on the sofa but Melissa brushed her off, "Please, don't ask about it."

"Don't get mopey on me! You'll be leaving tomorrow morning, come here," Melissa joined Lyn on the sofa, giggling when she was pulled into a hug, "We don't have to talk about Judd, just spend some time with me!"

"Okay. Tell me about your love life then!"

Lyn shied away from that, a blush dusting her cheeks, "How do you know I have one?"

"I know you. I can tell the difference when you leave for work or leave for a date."

"Fine! I have been seeing someone, it's been getting serious. It's felt like forever for him to ask me though, I was honestly on the edge of just asking him."

"Now this is unfair, you've met my boyfriend and I haven't met yours," Lyn looked down, feeling even more shy and a little guilty since what Melissa said was true...In a way, "I don't mean to put you on the spot, do it whenever you're ready."

"Nah, I don't have an issue with it! I've been meaning to talk about it sooner, to be honest. And we agreed that it's good to let you know," Melissa felt a little confused, but she waited for Lyn to finish, "You have met my boyfriend, just not with me. Um...It's Drew."

"Really?" Lyn nodded, a little worried, "You should have said sooner! I could have kicked his butt into gear for you. I was wondering what he was being so sneaky about. I'm so happy for you!"

"Good, Drew was really worried. Don't tell him I said that, I think it's because you're always looking after him and he didn't want to make things awkward between us."

"I'm fine with it. I want him to be happy and you're my best friend, so I want you to be happy too. If that's what you are for each other then I definitely support it. Besides, now I can warn you about all his annoying bad habits!" They chuckled together and sat back, chatting more about anything that came to mind.

* * *

Judd felt bored and distracted without Melissa, he had a while before he'd be playing in a competition again but Jack seemed intent on getting some additional practice in, his words being: _"If you start slacking off then you'll lose focus."_ But Judd felt like he had less focus without Melissa around and he was sure Jack had been noticing it too, by the looks that he was getting whenever they were together, "I've had enough! You need to go see her or I'm going to kill you."

"Sorry, I didn't realise I'd miss her this much."

"Judd, you're obviously in love, don't argue. She's all you think about, practically the only person you text all day and if she's brought up in conversation, you never shut up about how amazing she is. You've got trapped in a love web there."

"We haven't even been together that long though," Jack glared at Judd and he shook his head, "Okay, so I really, **really** like her. She caught my eye the moment we met...Yeah, shit, I'm in deep."

"Thanks for admitting it, now go to her and stop driving me up the wall, you obviously need some time off." Judd grinned, barely giving a thank you before leaving; he was so glad that he'd been meeting Jack today and decided to drive. He headed home first to pack a small bag with clean clothes and once he was finished, he felt better; now he could jump straight into his car and head to Watford... _To Melissa_.

* * *

Judd arrived at the venue, Oli let him in with a raised brow and a knowing smile; Jack probably said something but Judd couldn't care less, he just wanted to see Melissa, "She's taking some pictures from the practice tables," Judd nodded, letting Oli lead him through the venue, where he left him near the practice area, whispering a soft, "Good luck." Before departing; Judd wasn't sure what he was going to say, but he didn't care.

His eyes trailed around the room, searching for Melissa and when he spotted her, he smiled, until he noticed that she was with Rory, smiling and laughing; he knew she was just making friends, it made him happy to see she was getting along well with the other players but he couldn't help the jealousy that pulled at his chest at the sight. Judd began making his way over, when she finally noticed him, she looked surprised, "Judd!" She left Rory's side and walked over to embrace him, "As happy as I am to see you, it's a big surprise! What are you doing here?"

"I missed you too much, Jack was practically throwing me out. I know you'll be back soon, but I couldn't wait any longer."

Melissa smiled, soft and sweet, a reminder of why Judd had took the leap in asking her to be his girlfriend officially, "I'm glad you came. I missed you too, I didn't want to be blowing up your phone while you were busy. Now you can watch me at work, like I do with you and I want your honest opinion on what you think."

"Okay, that sounds good," Judd leaned down, pressing a very short, but delicate kiss on her lips, "Show me what you can do," He smiled and took a seat near-by, watching as she went back to taking pictures, her cheeks a little pink. He had to wait when she took pictures of the main tables and as the day wrapped up, he was grateful to be leaving, "I'll have to get a room at the hotel."

"You can share with me, I don't mind," Melissa spoke without really thinking about it and she blushed bright red when Judd looked at her, "I mean, unless you'd prefer your own."

"Actally, I'd really like to be with you," Judd smiled softly and Melissa relaxed; they reached his car and slid in together, he drove to the hotel with her directions. It wasn't very far from the venue so they could walk tomorrow and have a little feel of the area; once at the hotel, Melissa led them up to her room, Judd left his bag in the wardrobe and had a look around, "It's nice."

"It's got everything I need, it's quite plain actually."

"A room's a room, it doesn't need to be extravagant," Judd smiled and sat on the bed, patting next to him for Melissa; she smiled and sat beside him, "I was thinking of going away, Jack said that I need a break, I know it's sudden. But would you like to come with me?"

"Judd, I'd love to but I've got work to do and I don't know what Jay would say to me if I up and left."

"I was thinking about that, I know you love your job but I wanted to help you be an independent photographer. I mean, if it's something you'd want to do."

Melissa sighed softly, it was something she'd always dreamed of but it was never something that she thought she would get to do; she could take some time off and go away with Judd, she was sure it wouldn't be long anyway, he'd have a match to get back for, "Okay, I can take some time off for now. It's actually been my goal to work for myself."

"It'll only be a few days, I was thinking we could leave on the twenty-sixth, then it gives you a day to catch up with anything for work and make any arrangements."

"Sounds good, you've really got this all planned out."

"I did all the planning while I was driving, I'll be busy when we get back, Jack will definitely have me cramming some practice in before my match," Judd chuckled, but he wouldn't change anything about his life, "Why don't we see what's on the TV? Just chill, order some food. I'm starving!" Melissa laughed, watching Judd get the TV remote from the table; he flicked through the channels and settled on a silly family-friendly film. He also grabbed the hotel menu and began looking through it, "Have you had anything?"

"Not a real meal, I took some snacks with me."

"You need to eat something too." Melissa nodded, they looked through the menu and Judd ordered for them once they'd chosen something; when the food arrived, they sat at the table together and ate while chatting about the vacation that Judd had been planning.

* * *

After the competition was said and done, Judd felt extremely happy to have Melissa to himself; he did think he was being just a little selfish when they had talked about her being independent but he was glad to know that it was something she had wanted anyway. Their trip finally rolled around, Judd had been offered some opportunities to do some promotion in Hong Kong for a couple of days, it gave him and Melissa a chance to be away from the usual bustle of Essex and actually thinking about fitting in snooker practice. They could be tourists, enjoy the sights of Hong Kong and Judd's work wouldn't take up too much time.

Now sat on the plane, getting ready to take-off, Melissa watched Judd, a soft smile on her face, "What are you up to?"

"Just posting on Instagram, you know long flights are super boring."

"Oh I see, your phone is more special to you than I am!"

Judd laughed, pulling Melissa closer, "You're the most important thing to me. I'm just having a bit of fun."

"I know, I like teasing you," Melissa kissed Judd's cheek, "Besides, if you're bored we could play a game or something."

Judd was tempted to ask what the _or something_ meant but despite how Melissa had been acting toward him, he didn't want to push her into anything, "A game sounds like it could be fun." Melissa smiled, they found a silly game on Facebook that they could play together.

When the landing call eventually got announced, Melissa stretched before buckling her seat-belt; the flight felt like it had passed quickly and she appreciated being here with Judd, if it was something she was doing along she knew that she would be bored out of her mind. Once they finally landed, Judd led them to the baggage claim and they picked up their bags before getting a cab to the hotel; they checked-in and quickly found their room, Melissa stared out of the large window, appreciating the view, "Wow, this is lovely."

"Yeah, I really love coming to Hong Kong. There's this really nice sushi bar near-by, I was thinking we could go for lunch tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me," Melissa smiled up at Judd then decided to lay on the bed, "This is so comfortable! I can imagine that this is what a cloud feels like. You should test it too."

Judd looked at Melissa, she was laying there with her eyes closed, a pleasant smile curling her lips; he couldn't help but lick his own and now he was sure she was doing this on purpose. When he'd gone to visit her in Watford, things had gotten a little heated on their last night together and Judd could barely hold himself back; now they were enjoying some quiet and Judd was itching to touch Melissa. He slowly stepped towards the bed, his pulse spiking a little when his legs his the bed, Judd climbed over Melissa, the bed sinking under him as he hovered over her, "Seems nice," Judd dipped down, his lips brushing against Melissa's neck; Melissa reached up to hold Judd's shoulders, gasping softly when his tongue ran across her skin, "Tell me now if you want me to stop."

"No, don't stop," They kissed and Judd adjusted their position so he was kneeling between Melissa's legs; his hands ran down her body, mapping out a path to the bottom of her tee. Judd removed it with the aid of Melissa sitting up a little, he worked her bra free, tossing everything onto the floor; he traced his finger's over the curve of her breasts, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of them, "Judd, this is a little one sided." He leaned back, pulling his own top off and tossing it aside; Melissa ran her hands over his torso, feeling over the muscles.

Her fingers danced along the waistband of his joggers and she pulled at the fabric a little, "Hold on," Judd sounded breathless and it made Melissa swallow; he slid from the bed and pulled off his shoes, he removed Melissa's too. Then he closed the curtains and climbed back onto the bed. He slowly unfastened her jeans, watching her face as he removed the material; Melissa rose her hips for him and she was sure his breath hitched as he threw her jeans aside. Judd touched the lace of her thong, swallowing hard, "These seem special."

"They're new, I wanted to get something nice," Judd smiled, Melissa's hands touched his joggers again and he quickly pulled them off; he leaned down, kissing a line down her chest to her thong and back up, "Judd," Melissa sighed happily, squeezing the tops of Judd's arms; his fingers brushed aside the fabric of her thong, he slowly rubbed her clit, his movements gentle. Melissa's head tipped back, Judd moved his fingers quicker, sliding one down to her hole and teasing before sliding back to her clit, moving his fingers in circles; Melissa moaned softly, her hips rolling to his touch. Judd bit his lip, feeling her becoming wet under his fingers made him grow hard, "Judd, in my bag,"

Judd nodded, slowly pulling his hand away; he headed over to Melissa's bag, finding a condom in the zipper. When he returned to the bed, she had stripped of her thong and he couldn't help but lick his lips in response; he shed his boxers and slid back onto the bed, laying the condom on the pillow. Judd dipped down, kissing Melissa's thighs, he rubbed his hands over her stomach, slowly parting her lips with his fingers; she gasped when he flicked his tongue over her clit, he pressed his tongue flat against her flesh, slowly rubbing in circles.

"Oh, Judd."

Melissa moaned, a hand grabbing at the bed-sheets; he slid two fingers into her, groaning when she pulled at his hair. Judd rolled his tongue over her clit, slowly pulling away from her, he licked his fingers clean and held Melissa's hips, slowly moving closer, "You taste lovely," Melissa couldn't stop the blush spreading on her cheeks; she grabbed the condom, opening the packet with her teeth. Judd watched, holding his breath when Melissa's hands touched his cock; she slowly rolled the condom down his length and he swallowed down a groan, he was already hard from just touching her, hearing her noises...Judd took a hold of Melissa's hips, pressing her down into the bed, "Lissa, I need you."

"Okay." Melissa hooked her legs over Judd's thighs, pulling him closer; he groaned, low and deep, it made Melissa freeze for a moment but his hands soft and caressing against her thighs soothed her. Judd lined himself up, slowly sinking in, his eyes closing as Melissa sighed; he took a moment to breathe, Melissa touched his arms and he opened his eyes. Judd smiled at her, thrusting slow and long, grunting when Melissa moaned; he lifted her off the bed a little, his hands resting against her lower-back as he picked up the pace. Melissa's fingers dug into Judd's arms, she moaned as the pleasure shocked through her body; Judd shifted, using one arm to hold his weight while the other stayed hooked around Melissa and he leaned to kiss her, each thrust now being met by a roll of her hips.

She moaned against his lips, into his mouth and Judd gripped at the bed-sheets, his head spinning, pleasure pulling at him; his thrusts came quicker, Melissa gasped, holding tighter onto his arms. Her legs locked around Judd and she sighed when he kissed along her neck and collarbones; Judd's fingers caressed Melissa's back, she gasped with each thrust he made, he punctured each one with another kiss to her neck.

He left open-mouth kisses across Melissa's skin, she could feel her stomach getting tighter and gasped, moaning as another thrust came; the coil snapped and her hips bucked against him, her nails digging into his skin. Judd groaned, his hips jolting as he came, he held her tight, slowing to a stop; Melissa panted beneath him, rubbing her fingers over the divots her nails had made, he slid from her, brushing his hands through her hair, "Sorry."

"For what?"

"That was rushed."

"Judd, it was amazing," Melissa held Judd's face, smiling up at him, "Go clean up. I'll tell you a secret when you get back," Judd rose a brow, he kissed her before sliding from the bed; he picked up his boxers then vanished into the bathroom. Melissa grinned to herself, sighing happily, she got up and pulled her thong back on then dug into her bag for a night-dress which she slid over her head; she sat on the bed, smiling when Judd returned, he sat next to her and she turned to face him, "So, Liam was my only serious relationship. I've dated of course, but he was someone I thought I was in love with. He only cared about himself during sex, but with you I didn't feel that, honestly, I've never had a guy get me off before." She looked down, hiding her embarrassment.

"Lissa," Judd smiled, tipping her head up with a finger, "I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I was worried it might have been too quick."

"No, it was perfect. I really enjoyed it," Melissa could feel her heart swell, the fact that Judd had been so concerned about her enjoyment; any nervousness and embarrassment she'd felt flew away, replaced by the feelings she felt for Judd, "I realised something too, I never truly loved Liam and I can say that with absolute certainty, I feel like I can really put that all behind me now."

"Good, I'm happy that you can move on from it. You shouldn't let your past hold you back."

"I'll never let it stand in my way, which is why I want to be honest with you. I want to share everything with you," Judd looked confused again and Melissa just smiled, certain on her feelings; maybe it was something she'd always felt with him, deep down, "I love you."

Judd smiled, pulling Melissa into his lap, "I love you too. I've been dying to say it."

"I think I've always known it, from the moment we met, your eyes drew me in and I felt like I knew you, not just from being in snooker, but it was like something I'd been missing was found...And that's so cheesy," Melissa laughed, Judd joining in and they fell to the bed together, holding each other close; when the laughter died down, Melissa hummed, brushing a thumb over Judd's cheek, "But I mean it, you truly complete me."

"I feel the same way. Don't tell Jack, but I'm really glad he had me chasing after you, I hate to think what would have happened."

"You know, I totally have to tell him now."

"Guess I'm in the clear for telling Drew and Eli how cheesy you were."

"No!" Melissa smiled though, glad that they could be like this with each other, "I love you." She had to say it again and she felt like she could say it until she was hoarse.

"I love you." They got comfortable together, Judd grabbed the TV remote, flicking it on and searching for something they could watch together.


	8. Trouble & Tournaments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam tries to cause more trouble.
> 
> Judd faces another competition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Snooker <3<3

Their time in Hong Kong felt like it passed by too quickly, now on their way home, Melissa felt a little disappointed that they would be parting ways, "Hey," She turned her head to Judd, who looked surprisingly cheerful considering the situation, "Why do you look so unhappy?"

"We're almost home, I don't want to leave you."

"I've got an idea then, come back to mine first, I'll drop off my things then we can go to yours, you do the same and we could go out."

"Okay, that sounds good to me," When they landed, Melissa felt a little happier; they took the train back to Essex then made the short walk to Judd's house, he left his things in the hallway and they were soon in the car together, heading to Melissa's apartment building. Judd grabbed her case before she could and she shook her head, letting him carry it up to her door; she tried the handle first, pleased that it was open, they walked in together and Melissa felt her heart stop, "Lyn!"

Judd dropped her case, rushing over with Melissa to Lyn's side; Melissa frantically looked for a wound, there was too much blood and it made her feel sick. Her heart jumped when Lyn groaned, slowly opening her eyes, "Mel, Liam was here. When I told him you were in Hong Kong, he flipped out."

"Lyn! I'm sorry, if I was back sooner--"

"Don't you dare blame yourself, he did this."

"What did he do? You're bleeding."

Judd was behind them, on the phone to the emergency services, Lyn smiled softly, "I don't know. My leg I think, he had a knife, I managed to move out of the way but I tripped. He just kept asking where you were."

"The ambulance will be five minutes."

"Judd, please call Drew, tell him Lyn is hurt," He nodded at Melissa's words, "He shouldn't be anywhere near the building. I think we need to move."

"I forgot how much of an asshole he is, he's obsessed with you."

"Lyn--"

"If you apologise to me again, I swear to God," Lyn looked over Melissa's shoulder, watching Judd for a moment before she turned back, speaking quietly, "You two look happy. Like, sex happy."

"Shut up, you should save your energy." When the ambulance arrived, Melissa followed them out, letting Judd lock the door; Andrew showed up just as Lyn was getting pushed into the ambulance.

"What the hell happened?"

"Liam," Melissa sighed, turning to her brother, "This is all my fault."

Andrew pulled Melissa into his arms, "Don't you dare say that, you didn't turn him into this, he was like this all along. Don't forget, I was there when he put _you_ in hospital. He doesn't deserve to--"

"Excuse me sir, Miss Wallace is asking for you to accompany her."

Andrew nodded, he rubbed Melissa's arm, "Don't worry, I'll take care of her." Melissa watched as Andrew jumped into the ambulance, then it was leaving and she felt her heart sink.

"Lissa," She turned to Judd, "Do you want to follow them to the hospital?"

Melissa was sure Judd had to have heard what Andrew said, but he wasn't asking any questions about it, "Yeah. I'm sorry."

"Lyn and Drew are right, you need to stop apologising for the things that Liam does, you're not responsible for his actions. He's seriously fucked in the head," Judd wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her head, "That doesn't fall on you."

"I know, he makes his own shitty decisions. He's after me though and now Lyn got hurt."

"We will get him. Come on, lets go to the hospital."

Melissa nodded, they jumped into Judd's car together and he headed off for the hospital; Melissa chewed on her bottom lip, departing whether or not to bring up what Andrew had briefly mentioned, she shook off the feeling. Judd loved her, she loved him, she should tell him everything, even the bad things, "About what Drew said, you must have heard."

"Yeah, I wasn't being nosy."

"That's not what I'm trying to say. I want to explain it to you."

"You don't need to, I know it can't be easy to bring it all back up."

"I need to try though, I can't keep it all bottled up. My brothers and Lyn know everything because they were there. I'd like for you to know, I don't want to feel like I'm hiding anything from you," Melissa eyed Judd, he nodded slowly and she felt relieved, "I know it might be uncomfortable. A lot of it is very personal to me, the things he did..."

"Take your time, you don't have to unpack everything now, why don't you explain what Drew said first. We can talk about anything else at a different time. It might make it easier for you too, one step at a time."

"Okay, I can do that," Melissa took a deep breath, "I was working for a different company at the time, just interning mainly, between university classes. We were about half a year into a relationship, I got offered a chance to take part in a group project, we all shared our numbers so we could stay in contact if something came up. One day, a guy from the group text me, Liam blew up about it, he wouldn't take the truth from me. He believed that we were flirting, he dragged me out onto the balcony, threw my phone as far as he could then he grabbed me by the hair and held me over it. I thought he would throw me off too, instead, he pulled me back, I went through the balcony door. Liam left me alone, I was bleeding, half the glass stuck in my skin and I called Drew, told him I'd tripped, he didn't believe a word of it. He just took me to the hospital, I still have the scars..."

"Lissa, I'm sorry you had to go through that. I saw some of the scars on your legs, I wish I could take them away."

"They're part of me, a reminder to never take any of that shit again."

"I'd never hurt you."

"I know that, I just meant that they served a lesson that he wasn't even trying to."

"If you're ever uncomfortable with something I do or say, please tell me," They pulled into the hospital car park, Judd found a spot and went to pay for parking while Melissa waited by the car; once the ticket was in his car, he took her hand, "I love you, I don't want to see you in a hospital."

"I'm not sure how I feel about home births," It had been a joke, children wasn't something they were close to discussing yet, but the soft smile on Judd's lips made Melissa's heart jump, "I love you too, we should find where Drew is."

"I text him on the way to pay for parking, come on," She smiled at him, they headed into the hospital and Melissa let Judd lead the way, when they found the right place, she began looking around for Andrew, "They're together, aren't they? Drew never mentioned it."

"Oh yeah, I forgot to say. She told me after we got back from the qualifiers," They soon found Andrew, when he saw Melissa, he stood to pull her into a hug, "How is she?"

"She's fine, they called her parents, they're on the way. The knife sliced pretty deep but it missed the arteries, she's getting stitches now, they had to make sure the blade didn't break."

"Drew," Melissa sighed, pressing her face into his chest, "Why can't he leave me alone? Now he's dragging Lyn into this."

"I'll keep her safe, she said you were talking about moving. I think it might be a good idea to stay with me, you know I've got the room," Andrew shot a look to Judd, "Unless you have other plans?"

"Lissa, if you're comfortable staying with me, I'd be happy to keep you safe."

Melissa turned to Judd, smiling at him, "I'd really like that."

"Settled then, I'll look after Lyn and Judd can look after you."

"Don't make it sound like we're children," Melissa pushed Andrew away, moving to stand near Judd so she could hold his hand, "Do you know when we can see her?"

"The doctor said it shouldn't be long until she's brought down, they're putting extra security in too, considering the situation and now the police have been informed, they're going to help out too," Andrew folded his arms, staring down Judd, "Lyn was right, you're both _happy_."

"Drew--"

"I love her, of course we're happy," Judd moved his arm to rest over Melissa's shoulders, "I want to do everything to keep Lissa safe."

"Good," Andrew grinned, a loud rattling dragging his attention away from Judd and he smiled at the sight of Lyn, "Lyn!" They followed the nurses into the room, Andrew took a-hold of Lyn's hands once they'd gotten everything set up, "I'm so glad that you're okay."

"Of course, you should know me by now."

"How are you feeling?"

"A little sore, they've got me on pain killers and they're going to keep me overnight just to make sure everything's going okay. Then I can leave tomorrow."

"Lyn, we're not going back to the apartment. He might be waiting for us, you're going with Drew and I'm going with Judd."

"We'll sort out your things, don't worry about it."

Lyn squeezed Andrew's hand, smiling up at him, "Thanks."

"Judd, do you think Jack would be happy to give a helping hand too?"

"Yeah, I can't imagine why not. I do have some practices booked soon though, before the Player's Championship, so we'll have to sort a day out. I can go back with Melissa now and at least pack some clothes."

"That sounds good. Mel, go, Lyn's fine with me," Lyn was nodding, waving already, "I'll meet up later to grab her stuff, okay?"

Melissa nodded, a little reluctantly, they said their goodbyes and Judd led them out of the room; they headed back to the apartment and Melissa packed a suitcase and bag full of Lyn's clothes and some personal items she knew that Lyn would like. Then she packed a bag of some more of her own things and they were off for Judd's, leaving Lyn's things in the hall so it would be easier for later; Judd took Melissa's suitcase from their time away and set off a load of laundry, "Guess our plans changed a little."

"Yeah, try not to worry too much. Lyn's okay and she seemed happy about getting some alone time with Drew."

"I know, it just sucks that we have to run away like this."

"Keep your head up, the police will deal with it. I have a competition soon, think about that, you can come and be my number one supporter."

"Where is that again? Manchester?"

"Preston. We'll be flying to Manchester though, it's quicker than driving and I know for a fact Jack will already have practice planned. So it's an hour, then we drive an hour from Manchester to Preston. Better than a four and a half hours drive."

"Okay, sounds good to me. I'm going to take some nice pictures and watch my boyfriend kick ass."

Judd chuckled, "Hopefully."

"Kick ass!" Melissa leaned up and kissed him, "I know you can do it, I have faith in you."

"See, number one supporter, I don't need anyone else." Melissa smiled at Judd's words and they shared another kiss, feeling very content.

* * *

Melissa felt content sitting on a comfortable chair, watching Judd get ready, he leaned down to her once he was done, kissing her gently, "You've got this, good luck babe," She smiled up at him, reaching to straighten up his collar a little better; the knock came at the door and she kissed him again, "Go on."

"Thank you," Judd smiled, he picked up his things then headed out; she sat back, watching the screen as he walked out onto the table and shook hands with his opponent. The match started and Melissa watched intently, silently rooting for Judd, he seemed to be playing with an untouchable flourish; at three-nil, Melissa felt more excited. The long red between the blue and yellow had her jaw dropping, she loved to watch him playing and in such a good form. She felt that it was a shame he missed on the black, but he was starting out strong in the fourth frame, and she felt relieved when he won; Judd returned to his room, smiling at Melissa, "What did you think?"

"Looked good! You're really on form, a few little scrappy bits. Was that red a kick? The commentators weren't sure, at least Jimmy didn't take advantage of it."

"No, it was a miss. I got really lucky," He left his cue on the table and walked over to Melissa, leaning down to kiss her, "It was such a bad miss."

With Judd's breath tickling Melissa's lips and seeing how nice he looked...The way he potted the red, she felt far too hot under the collar, "Ugh," She pushed his back, pouting, "Stop turning me on, we don't have time for that."

"Oh?" Judd smirked, he swiftly undid the buttons on his sleeves, rolling them up; he heard Melissa take a breath and he slid his hand up her thigh, brushing aside her skirt as he did. His thumb pushed aside the fabric of her underwear, sliding through her lips, " _God_ , you are wet," Melissa sighed blissfully, a shudder running over her skin, "We really don't have time," Regardless, he shifted their position, tilting Melissa back into the chair; he slid down her underwear, smiling when he noticed the lacy fabric, "And you say I'm teasing you, look at this," He kneeled on the floor, pressing his fingers against Melissa's clit; he brought his other hand up to her mouth as he began moving slowly, a few movements up and down before he rubbed circles over the bud, smirking when she grabbed at the arms of the sofa. Her face gave away her expressions of pleasure, he teased her clit before sliding his fingers down, slowly sinking two into her; she huffed out a breath through her nose and Judd chuckled, moving his fingers slowly, "Isn't it unfair if only you get there and I don't?" Melissa looked conflicted, her hips bucking against him when he curled his fingers into her, "Will you want it more when I win?"

Melissa took a deep breath, her hips rolling to the slow movements of his fingers; she didn't know Judd could be like this, teasing her to brink of begging for release. Just as she thought he was ready to let her orgasm, a knock came at the door, she whimpered as he withdrew his fingers; she watched him lick them clean, easily replacing her thong.

"Yeah, I'm just getting my stuff!" Judd fixed his shirt, adjusting himself and taking a few deep breaths, "Wait until later baby, I promise you'll enjoy it," Judd kissed Melissa quickly, grabbing his cue from the table; he refocused his mind, thinking about the match at hand until snooker was the only thing on his mind, the calmness made him feel better and he waved to Melissa before he headed out of the door.

Melissa sighed, rubbing her legs together as she re-situated herself on the chair, turning back to the screen; she had to wonder how Judd looked so calm walking back out to the table, greeting the crowd with a smile and wave. Melissa watched closely, urging him on and when he won in stylish fashion, she couldn't help but feel more than excited; she tried to calm herself but nearly sprang out of the chair when he returned.

Judd put his things away, smiling at Melissa, "I've got an interview to do too," She sighed, pouting a little, "Shouldn't be long," He left the room again and she caught sight of someone leading him away; she decided to get him his spare top out of his bag, leaving it folded on the table, it still felt like forever until he returned. Judd eyed up the top, simply smirking like he had something else planned and instead, he pulled on his coat, throwing his tie into the bag with the top, "I know you like me wearing this," Melissa giggled, grabbing his bag as he grabbed his cue-case; he took her hand and led them out to the car-pack, his stuff getting placed into the back-seat. They climbed in together and once they were buckled in; Judd backed out of the spot and drove them to the hotel, in the elevator up to their floor, he placed some feather-light touches on Melissa. She tried to wiggle away from the feeling, returning the favour by lightly pinching Judd's bottom; Melissa smirked when he rushed back to their room from the elevator, quickly letting them in and pressing her against the nearest wall. Judd kissed her, feverish and hungry; Melissa let out a soft squeak when his hand dove under her skirt, she was still wet from his touches and Judd didn't hide how he felt about it this time, groaning softly against her lips, "I need you, baby."

"I'm right here," Melissa ran her hands over Judd's clothes, cupping his bulge when she reached his groin, "You know where to find the condoms," Judd gently bit her lip, stepping back for a moment to rummage through her bag, quickly retrieving a condom; when he returned to her, she made quick work of his trousers, running her hands over the length of his cock. He handed Melissa the condom, she ripped open the packet, tugging down his trousers and boxers then slid the latex over his flesh; Judd closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, when he opened his eyes, Melissa was looking up at him, waiting. Judd grunted, pulling her thong loose, she kicked off her heels and stepped out of the fabric; the moment they were gone, he hiked her up against the wall, pressing himself close to her. Melissa unfastened the buttons of his waistcoat and shirt, pushing the fabric aside; Judd held her tight, steadying himself with a hand, slowly, he sunk his length into her. Melissa moaned softly, locking her arms over his shoulders and her legs tight around his waist, "Judd."

When she breathed his name like that, Judd took a breath, he gave one thrust and she rocked into it; he evened out his stance, grasping at her as he built up a steady pace, groaning softly, the pleasure hitting every nerve. Melissa moaned, her hips rolling to each thrust Judd made; she was past the new feeling of it, indulging in the way he made her feel and she wasn't sure how long she could hold out, after nearly being on the brink earlier.

Judd's movements were driving Melissa insane, the pleasure rushing through her body; she pressed her fingers into his back, gasping a when his lips pressed against her neck, "Lissa, you feel so good," Judd's voice was heavy with lust and it made Melissa shudder; the pace of his thrusts quickened, Melissa moved her hips to the new pace.

His groans felt like they echoed in Melissa's ears, she tried to hold on but the movements finally brought her over the edge, her moans came out stuttered as the pleasure rushed over her body; Judd grunted softly, burring his face into her neck, the motion sending his brain into overdrive and he was soon spilling into the condom, groaning against her skin. Melissa held Judd close as his hips slowed to a stop; he pressed their foreheads together, taking slow breaths, he slid from her, placing her onto the floor.

"Give me a second."

Judd made a move for the bathroom, getting stopped by Melissa's hand on his arm; she looked him over, grinning up at him, "Okay. Love you."

"Love you too. What was that?" She just shrugged in response, retrieving her thong off the floor before heading over to the bed; Judd shook his head, going into the bathroom so he could clean up, he pulled up his boxers and trousers. He got a glimpse in the mirror of what a mess he looked, his waistcoat and shirt were rumpled at the shoulders, creases setting into the fabric and he realised what Melissa had been so proud of. Judd returned to the room, removing his shoes then grabbing a clean shirt and a pair of sweatpants from the wardrobe, which he quickly changed into, before joining Melissa on the bed, "I looked a mess."

"Hmm? Yeah, it was _really_ nice," Melissa smiled, cuddling into Judd, "I like these too, casual Judd..." She giggled for a second, looking up at him, "Maybe it's just you. The clothes are an accessory to allow me to appreciate you more."

"Can I say the same then?" Judd grinned, wrapping his arms tight around her, "Because you're beautiful no matter what you wear."

"I meant to say, the red you potted between yellow and blue was lovely. You play on Wednesday now, right?"

"Yeah, against Jack Lisowski. Very close friend."

"You have to put that all aside though, go out there and crush him!"

Judd laughed, pressing a kiss to her head, "I'll do my best." Melissa smiled, cuddling close to him as he leaned over for the TV remote and turned it on.


	9. Another Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judd faces another match and he and Melissa make an important decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the snooker-based chapter I mentioned earlier :)

Wednesday brought a new match for Judd, Melissa had a chance to get some pictures of the earlier matches and when the evening came, she wished Judd luck, with a kiss accompanying her words; then she was sat in the same spot, watching the match play out. At one-nil down, she began feeling a little restless, as Judd started to gain a little momentum in the second frame, she deflated when Lisowski overcame it and took a two-nil lead; Melissa got excited again with the nice long-red that Judd took to the corner pocket, sticking on the table and pulling the match to two-one down.

She hoped it would be the morale boost that he needed; she ended up lightly chewing her lip through the fourth frame, sighing when he fell to three-one behind at the mid-session. Judd returned to the room, looking a little disappointed and frustrated, she stood up and embraced him, "Go practice, come on. You've got this, I have faith in you."

"He's playing really well. I need to keep my head in this."

She nodded, just as a knock came at the door and Jack poked his head in, "Go practice," Judd nodded, sharing a quick kiss before he followed his brother out; Melissa sat back down, rubbing her hands over her face, she would be upset if Judd lost and she knew he would be too, but she would still be here, rooting for him regardless. He returned for a brief moment, smiling at her, "Good luck babe, go kick butt." She gave him a thumbs up and he nodded before heading out.

Watching him lose the opening frame out of the interval made her feel a little more defeated; Judd was right about how Lisowski was playing, he had the flourish that Judd had on Monday. The sixth frame had her leaning forward and she barely moved when the door opened, "Thought I'd join you, figured you'd be getting anxious."

"Thanks." Melissa watched Jack sit down, quickly turning back to the screen.

"You're really invested."

"I've liked snooker for a while and Judd for the last three years because of Drew. But it's different now, I'd support him even if I wasn't a fan, I want to see him do well," As he won the sixth frame and pulled the score to four-two down, "I know Jack's his friend, he'd probably want to see good things from him if he ends up losing, but I want to see him pull this back, it would be more satisfying for me. And I bet, for him too."

Jack chuckled, "Yeah." The seventh-frame kicked off in Judd's favour, the miss on the red had Melissa sighing, sinking into the sink and once Lisowski got back onto the table, he smoothly took a lead, when the frame was his; the match-lead taken to five-two and victory a frame away, Melissa began chewing her lip again, hoping and praying that Judd could still pull it back.

When it came back to five-three, Melissa felt a little more relaxed, it put more pressure on Lisowski to get the final frame, allowing Judd to play in order to spend time and catch-up; five-four made her jump up, hiding her face when Jack laughed, "Sorry, I'm excited now," She sat down, grinning, "It's nice to see a close game, just one in it."

"Yeah, he must know you're rooting for him," The tenth frame stayed close, Judd with some decent table-time and gaining an early lead over Lisowski; then he won it, taking the match to five-five and he walked out, she felt tempted for a second to catch him in the hallway but stayed seated, "He can do this."

Melissa watched the final frame on baited-breath, jumping up again when Judd won; Jack chuckled, joining in her celebration, "Yes! Thank you for keeping him focused, you did your part Jack."

"I just tell him where to improve and point out if he's making a mistake, I'm terrible at playing."

"Regardless, you keep him training and practising, he told me that you really help with keeping him fighting back. So you might not play, but you're a big help for him," Melissa smiled, hugging him, "Judd might not say it all the time, but I know he truly appreciates your help. Player or not."

"Thanks." Jack smiled, returning the hug; it felt nice to be praised, Judd did say his thank you's for the help, but he never went into detail like Melissa had. Jack was glad that his brother had picked someone so wise.

Judd felt a little worn-out after the interviews, he headed into his changing room, freezing when he saw Jack and Melissa hugging; a wave of emotions washed over him. Jealousy and anger, then he felt stupid for feeling that way, Jack was his brother, he wouldn't do anything like that, "Hey, you guys look happy."

"We're celebrating! Come on," Melissa stretched out her right arm, beckoning him over with a wave of her hand; he felt his emotions dissolve into love and adoration. Judd headed over, joining their hug, "I was just thanking Jack for helping you out. We're so glad you won! Such a good come back too."

"Thank you both," Judd smiled, "Lissa, could you just give us a second?"

"Sure." Melissa smiled, broke their hug, pressing a kiss to Judd's cheek and waving as she departed from the room.

"What's wrong?"

"Tell me I'm not stupid for getting jealous. Seeing you two hugging..."

"It isn't stupid to get jealous, but it is stupid to ever think I'd go after your girlfriend. Besides, even if I remotely liked her that way, she's way too head over heels for you."

"I know you wouldn't and I trust her, I'm just crazy, I hate to think that any jealousy I had might ruin things," Judd laughed, "I'll get changed and we can leave."

Jack nodded patting Judd on the shoulder as he left the room, he found Melissa stood just down the hall, talking with Lisowski, "Hey!" He joined the two of them, rubbing a hand over Lisowski's hair, "Shame about the loss."

"Really, the first thing you say? Thanks though, Judd stuck his heels in."

"You were really great out there Jack! Even Judd said you were playing well."

"Thanks Mel, are you a professional cheerleader?"

Jack laughed at that, slinging an arm over Melissa's shoulder, "Unfortunately, only for Judd. You should have seen her cheering him on."

"That's why I couldn't sit in the crowd, I get too excited. Sorry Jack, I'm always going to root for him to win."

"I understand," Judd joined them at that point, smiling at Lisowski, "Congratulations on the win."

"Thank you, you did well, you know I won't go down without a fight."

"Yeah, I should go get changed anyway, I'm exhausted. See you guys later."

He waved and headed off for his changing room, Judd turned to Jack and Melissa, raising his brows, "I'm gonna get going, I'll text you with practice details."

Then Jack vanished, Melissa tilting her head in curiosity, "What was that about?"

"He's winding me up," Judd chuckled, reaching out to take Melissa's hand, "Come on, we should turn in for the night."

Melissa smiled, squeezing his hand in response; they made in back to the hotel fairly quickly and Judd dropped onto the bed after throwing aside his clothes. Melissa made herself comfortable, laughing at the face Judd was making, "You okay there?"

"Tired. Annoyed."

"Annoyed?"

"Jack winding me up. I got a little jealous earlier, seeing you two hugging and I know I have nothing to worry about. I just don't like seeing another man touch you."

"Judd, it's not like his hand was down my jeans or anything, we were just hugging. Besides, I get jealous too, seeing all those female fans hoarding you, they always touch your arms and it really annoys me. But I know you love me. They don't have a chance."

"Sometimes it's a little weird honestly," Judd moved closer to Melissa, burying his face into her neck, "You're right, I already have the girl of my dreams right here. I know you love me too, Jack wouldn't do that to me either, my feelings reacted before my brain could."

Melissa rubbed a hand down Judd's back, smiling softly at him, "You're all I need."

"Lissa, don't ever leave me."

"I don't have a plan to, you better not either."

"No way," Judd looked up at Melissa, bringing a hand up to caress her face, "I mean it though. Move in with me properly, I know you and Lyn were still looking for a new place, but I don't want you to go."

"Judd," Melissa sighed, holding his hand, "I'd love to. You don't think it's too soon?"

"No, nothing's too soon when it comes to you. I know we've been keeping this between friends too, but someone's going to put two and two together, I'd like to reveal things to the public too, if you're comfortable."

"I love you, of course I don't mind. Besides, it won't be easy keeping it quiet, especially with the World Championship coming around, if you want me there as your date. There'll be questions, it's best to answer them before people accuse you of lying to them."

"I love you too." Judd smiled, leaning up to kiss her lips; this moment felt perfect and he wouldn't change a thing about it.


	10. Pushing On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judd and Melissa go public with their relationship.

Melissa felt a little nervous, knowing that Judd would be revealing their relationship, she felt happy of course, just nervous; she hadn't felt this nervous since Judd had brought her out to meet his parents. It had been nice though and she remembered it fondly.

_They arrived at the restaurant, Melissa fiddling with her sleeve, Judd took her hand, squeezing it softly in his own, "They'll love you, don't worry about it," She smiled up at him, still feeling a little nervous; she let their fingers tangle and they walked in, Judd leading them to his parents, "Hey, it's great to see you," He kissed his mother's cheek and hugged his father with one arm, turning to Melissa, "This is Georgina and Steve. And this is my wonderful girlfriend, Melissa."_

_Melissa blushed, shaking hands with them both, "It's very nice to meet you both."_

_"You too," Georgina smiled, pulling Melissa into a one-armed hug, "Judd speaks very highly of you."_

_"I hope he hasn't been saying anything embarrassing."_

_"Of course not, but it's clear you make him happy. Lets take our seats," Steve smiled; they sat together at the table. Judd grinned at Melissa from across the table, "Judd said you're a photographer."_

_"Yeah, I'd like to go independent eventually, even though I really love the company I work for. We do a magazine for the local college, covering a wide variety of things, they're mostly sports-related so we try to cater to them. I'm only really a fan of snooker though, my brother got me into it years ago."_

_Georgina looked interested, nodding as Melissa spoke, "So you have a brother too? Judd hasn't said much, just that you're the best thing that happened to him."_

_"Mum!"_

_Melissa and Georgina laughed at Judd's reaction, Steve patted him on the back, looking on in understanding, "I have two, one younger and one older. My younger brother has never got into snooker so I think Drew is very happy that he at least got me into it, they go to football games together anyway."_

_"I see, and has Judd met your parents?"_

_"Oh..." Judd reached out to hold her hand, smiling softly, "Unfortunately they passed away a long time ago, but I know they'd love him. I don't really like going to the cemetary alone, mostly the three of us go when we can. Judd has met my brothers though, I know Drew gave him a little bit of a hard time, but he's just looking out for me."_

_"Sorry about your loss, it's nice to know your brother is taking care of you. We know Judd will continue that. I know sometimes it's hard to let that happen. If Judd's anything like his father, he'll drive you insane," Steve looked shocked at that and Georgina smiled at him, "But we love them anyway, right?"_

_"Of course." Melissa smiled, the rest of the night turned into them joking around sometimes at the expense of Judd and Steve, but they took it on the chin and got a little revenge too; they got to know Melissa better and she learned more about them too. Her nervousness had completely faded by the end of the first course._

As the replies to Judd's Instagram post grew, full of congratulations, which had made Melissa feel relieved; at least no-one seemed to have any issues. As Judd's next match against Neil approached, she began to feel nervous for Judd, he sat with her for the last five minutes before he got called out for his match; as always, she wished him luck and gave him a kiss.

Jack joined her again in watching, only leaving her to scroll through social media while he went to help Judd with practising during the mid-session and once the match continued and the gap grew, she began to feel a little deflated and she could only imagine how Judd felt. As Neil took the tenth frame and the match came to a close she sighed, slouching back into the sofa; Judd returned quickly, not speaking as he packed away his things and got changed, Jack patted Judd on the shoulder and left them alone.

Judd joined Melissa on the sofa, burying himself into her warmth, "You did well babe, I'm sorry you lost."

"It wasn't good enough, Neil out-played me today, he deserved the win," Judd sighed and Melissa kissed his head, "What have you been doing?"

"Just scrolling. You'll get him next time, you know I have absolute faith in that."

Judd hummed, pressing a kiss to her neck, "Can we go now? I'd rather mope at the hotel."

"Nope," Melissa moved, making Judd sit up; she held his face, smiling at him, "I refuse to let you do that. You tried your hardest, you really fought out there, today he was better than you. But tomorrow is a new day, you can get ready to kick his butt next time. We can go back to the hotel, but I'm banning all moping."

Judd laughed, feeling the joy that Melissa gave him almost made the loss feel a little easier, "Okay, thank you. Watch some sappy romance films with me then?" She nodded at that and they shared a kiss before heading out.

* * *

The next day was filled with some time in Manchester before they finally headed back to Essex, Judd had been filling the rest of the day with practice and Melissa spent some time finishing off some work; she mostly spent time ensuring that all their upcoming articles were proof-read, she just sent everything to her boss when she heard the front door open. Judd joined her a moment later, pressing a kiss to her head, "Don't burn yourself out."

"You don't have to worry about that, Jack's got an eye on me. Are you done?"

"Yeah, just finished."

"I've got a surprise for you, come on," Judd held his hand out and Melissa took it, her brows raising in curiosity; he led her into the lounge and she gasped at the sight, "Well?"

"Judd! You didn't have to do this," She took a step closer, picking up the camera from the table, "This can't have been cheap."

"I wanted to spoil you a little. I know you've been looking more into doing your own thing, so this is a start towards it, okay? I'm not taking it back."

"Thank you," Melissa smiled at him, leaning up to kiss Judd, "I'll treasure this."

"Good. It makes me feel better too. I have some good news as well."

"You really are spoiling me today. What is it?"

"Lets sit down first, I'm not sure you'll believe me," Melissa tilted her head, but sat down anyway, putting the camera back onto the table; Judd took her hands once they were free and he smiled brightly, "Officer Jones called me while I was out, he wanted to let me know as soon as he could, they caught Liam. He was trying to leave on a boat for Ireland, he's going down for a long time, not just for hurting Lyn, but everything he did to you too. They're also keeping him far away from you."

Melissa sighed happily, "Good, now I can really feel like I don't need to be worried about him just showing up. Especially now that we're public, I was worried he might start turning up at events, just to catch me...And, I didn't want him to hurt you to get to me."

"I would have defended myself fine."

"I know, it's nice knowing that he doesn't have a hold on my life though."

"Yeah, it makes me feel like we can truly relax, don't have to be on guard. Speaking of our relationship being public, everyone's taking it well."

"They're happy for you, I think most people don't care about your personal life honestly. I've seen some of the comments on your posts."

"I use Instagram for more of my personal pictures, it's nice to have somewhere I don't need to talk about snooker or post pictures about it, if certain people don't want me to have a place like that, I don't really care. It's not like I play twenty-four seven, I have a life."

Melissa laughed, nodding at his words, "Don't worry, I understand it. I do us Instagram to show off my work, but I wouldn't use Facebook the same way. Of course that's more for my own things and I'd never let anyone random know about it, but say if someone did find it then started saying to me, _you don't have pictures like this on Facebook_. Well, of course not, that's for my personal stuff, family and friends. I wouldn't care either. I know it's not the best example, but I don't use Twitter so it's the only thing I think of."

"Yeah, I know what you're saying," Judd smiled, "Besides, now I can show you off a little."

"I'm nothing special."

"You're special to me," Melissa smiled softly, his words making her feel a little tingle in her chest; they shared a kiss, sinking into the couch, when they broke for air, Judd spoke again, "That's all we need to know, so I'll show you off all I want."

"Fine, but I'm going to start bragging about how amazing you are," Judd grinned, he leaned over Melissa, pressing a few kisses to her neck; Melissa grabbed onto his shoulders, her head tipped with the touch, "What are you doing?"

"Kissing you." Judd's breath tickled her skin, he licked a strip across her neck, following the line with more kisses; Melissa sighed, pressing her fingers into his shoulders.

"Judd, stop teasing me."

"It's fun," Judd smiled up at Melissa, rubbing a hand up her thigh, "I like seeing you squirm."

"Bully."

"Really?" Judd sat up, pouting at her, "Well I guess if you don't want me to, I can't make you."

Melissa sighed, shaking her head at Judd, "Of course I want you to touch me. Maybe we'd be more comfortable upstairs?"

"Oh. Okay," Judd smirked, hopping up off the sofa; he took Melissa by the hand, locking the door on the way up to the bedroom. Once they were inside, he picked Melissa up, smiling as she held onto him, "Say that again for me."

"What?" Judd poked his tongue out, gently laying Melissa on the bed; he hovered his hands over her tee, gently touching the fabric, "Oh. I see. I want you to touch me Judd."

"I love hearing that," He smirked, quickly removing her tee, "I want to hear how much you like it."

Judd's fingers ran down Melissa's flesh and she shuddered, gasping as he trailed the shape of her breasts, "No teasing, remember?"

"In a rush?" Melissa hid her face, ignoring the smirk that still played on Judd's lips; his fingers tickled along her stomach and she couldn't help but suck in a breath. Then his hands moved, curling around her wrists, "Look at me," She let him move her arms, squeaking softly when he pressed them into the mattress, "You look beautiful, I want to see your face," Melissa swallowed, letting her arms rest to the side as Judd made quick work of her jeans; she reached out for his top, pouting when a hand stopped her, "In a minute, okay?"

Melissa felt a little exposed while Judd was still fully dressed and she only had her underwear remaining; his fingers danced over her skin again, slowly removing her bra, he leaned down, kissing along her collarbone, slowly trailing a line to her breasts. Judd cupped a hand around Melissa's left breast, softly nipping and kissing at the flesh; he switched to the right, then slowly started kissing down her stomach to her thong, he swiftly removed the fabric, pressing soft kisses along her thighs, "Judd," Melissa sighed softly, running her fingers through his hair; Judd ran his thumbs along her lips, he pressed a kiss to her clit and Melissa sucked in a breath.

Judd smirked, he slowly rubbed his tongue over Melissa's clit, her fingers curled into his hair as he worked his tongue over her clit; Melissa moaned softly, her head tipping back into the pillow with the movement. Judd slid two fingers into her, slowly thrusting as he rubbed circles around her clit; Melissa's moans sent a shock through his body, her hips rolled into his movement and he brought up his free hand to hold her still.

Melissa whined, gasping and writhing against him; Judd slid his fingers from her, changing so he could rub his fingers against her clit, working his tongue over her hole, "Judd, please."

"Okay baby," He rubbed his fingers over her one last time, resting back on his knees; Judd pulled off his top, throwing it aside, he tugged off his jeans and boxers, gasping when Melissa's hands wrapped around his cock, "Lissa."

"You can't have all the fun." Melissa smiled up at Judd, slowly pumping his length; he was already hard in her hands, the feeling of her touching him made Judd's breath catch in his throat. Judd leaned over and grabbed a condom from the bedside table, breathing slowly as Melissa's hands teased him; he quickly ripped open the packet, brushing aside her hands to roll the condom down his length. Melissa gave a quick soft tug at Judd's length, making him grunt in response; he grasped her hips, pulling her closer, to which she gasped in response.

"I love you."

"I love you too." Judd moved a hand to steady himself, slowly sinking into Melissa; he held her hips as he thrust into her, Melissa locked her legs around his waist. Judd thrust quick and Melissa gasped, rolling her hips into the movement; he held himself over her, building up a steady pace, Melissa held onto his arms, moaning softly with the movements.

Judd grunted softly when Melissa's nails dug into his skin; his thrusts quickened, pleasure rushing through his body, Melissa's moans grew with the increased pace and Judd couldn't stop his own groans from leaving his lips. He moved a hand to gently cup Melissa's face, leaning down to kiss her lips; their noises mixed together, Melissa arched her back, adjusting their position a little which made her gasp out a moan.

He pressed their foreheads together, half-biting his lip as he grunted, his thrusts getting deeper and faster; Melissa ran her fingers down Judd's arms, leaving behind small lines on his arms from her nails. Judd groaned, grasping onto the bed-sheets; Melissa gasped as Judd bucked, his thrusts made her close her eyes, the pleasure rippling through her body.

Melissa's hips rocked into the movement, her body shuddering as her orgasm travelled through her, making her moan loudly; Judd swallowed down a groan at the feeling of Melissa writhing against him, he kept his thrusts steady, grunting as he hit release. He slowed to a stop, panting softly; Melissa slowly lowered her legs, stretching out the limbs as Judd pulled out, he kissed her before going into the bathroom to clean up. She lazily got up and change into something more comfortable for the night, she threw their clothes into the laundry basket, just getting comfortable on the bed when Judd returned; he cuddled into her and she smiled at him, "I really liked you doing that."

"What? Scratching you?"

"Yeah, do you think that's weird?"

"I've heard stranger things on the internet, I'm glad you liked it though, I didn't want to be hurting you."

"Of course not," Judd kissed her head, reaching over for the tv remote, "Fancy watching a film, then sleep?"

"Sure, sounds perfect to me." Melissa smiled, snuggling into his warmth; she couldn't have imagined being this happy, but Judd truly lit up her life.


	11. Competition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judd faces another competition and some problems arise.

The next competition soon rolled around, Melissa had decided to take some pictures while she was there, just to get started with going independent; Coventry was a beautiful place too, so having pictures of the landscapes would help her show that she could venture outside of sports-related subjects. Judd had spent a little time with her, exploring the sights before Jack dragged him off to practice before his game, they met back up at the hotel and Melissa couldn't help but laugh at how much Judd looked like a child who'd had his toys taken away; then when he pouted at her, she laughed more.

Judd felt like he was probably putting things on, but when he hugged Melissa, it felt like he was relaxed, "I need to recharge."

"He's being childish."

Melissa looked at Jack, her laughter had faded as soon as Judd embraced her, "Come on, there's always tomorrow for more practice," She smiled at Jack, slowly running a hand over Judd's back, "Lets eat, I'm famished."

Judd chuckled, moving to kiss her before they headed into the hotel restaurant; they quickly ordered and Judd felt better once he was eating, "Jack's been bullying me most of today."

"If you lose, don't blame me."

"As if I ever do."

"Boys," Melissa sighed, shaking her head, "You two are exactly like my brothers, so childish."

"Yeah, sometimes we are, but it's how we know we love each other."

Judd poked his tongue out at Jack's words and Melissa giggled, "If you say so," They finished eating and Judd escaped with Melissa before Jack could remind him about practice; of course he knew he needed to, it served him well for competitions and he wouldn't change that, but he just needed some time to forget about it for a while. When they reached the room, Judd pressed Melissa to the wall, pressing a heated kiss to her lips; she slowly rubbed her hands over his shoulders as their lips moved together and when they broke for air, Judd pressed his forehead to hers, "Feel better?"

"Yeah. I really missed you today, I think it's because I haven't had any matches in a while, it's just been me and you for the last few days."

"We don't spend every waking moment together though, I think it's nice to have our own space, besides, I know you love snooker. Regardless of playing in a competition or just for practice."

"I do, but I love you too."

"I know that and you know I feel the same. I love photography, but I'd never put that before you and, I love watching you play snooker, I want to see you improve. I know you need to practice, I know you don't love me any less when we're not together. I like this, you coming back to me at the end of a long day and just chilling."

Judd smiled at Melissa's words, he took her hand and led her over to the bed so they could get comfortable and cuddle, "I'm just being dramatic."

"I don't mind, it's nice to know you miss me. I miss you too when we're not together, just knowing that you love me, and are most likely thinking of me, makes me really happy. I really love you Judd, you're the best thing that's happened to me."

"Melissa, I love you so much." Judd kissed her lips, soft and sweet; Melissa melted into it, gently resting her hand on his cheek. They sunk into the bed together, hands wandering and lips moving, they both felt more than happy in this moment; being able to spend some time together after a long day.

* * *

When Judd's first match rolled around, he felt more that prepared, Jack of course had him practising but Melissa's words had really stuck with him; Judd knew that she was watching, but at the table, he felt like she was right beside him, urging him on. Then Judd flew through the first game against Bingham, easily winning three-one; he headed straight for his changing room, being met by Melissa, "You wanna go for a quick lunch?"

"Sure, are you going out dressed like that?"

"Yeah, it'll be easier, I'll just change my shoes," Judd smiled at her and she pecked his lips before he turned to sit and quickly change his shoes; once Judd was done, he threw on a jacket then took Melissa's hand, "How did I look out there? Good game?"

"You looked great, keep it up babe," Melissa smiled up at him; they headed out of the arena, finding a cafe nearby where they could grab a bite to eat. Melissa sat Judd down and picked something out to order that they'd both enjoyed; she went to the counter and ordered their food along with a cup of coffee each, when she returned to the table, Judd grinned at her, "I wanted to treat you today. You're working really hard."

"Thank you, you didn't need to."

"But I want to and you always spoil me, I like treating you too," Melissa smiled at him, their food soon arrived and they got chatting about Judd's upcoming matches for the day; they couldn't spend too long out, Melissa knew that Jack would be dragging Judd off for some practice. So when they finished up, they gave thanks and headed back to the venue; Judd changed his shoes back and just as he leaned down to kiss Melissa the door opened. She giggled, pressing a soft kiss to Judd's cheek, "See you later."

"I'll try not to over-work him." Jack grinned at Melissa, she nodded and Judd grabbed his things, pushing Jack out of the room.

She got settled into the chair, she pulled her phone out to busy herself until the start of the match; just as Melissa was scrolling through Facebook, her phone rang and she rose a brow, wondering what Lyn wanted, she quickly answered, "Hey, what's up?"

_"We **need** to get a place together again, your brother is driving me crazy! It's not that I don't appreciate him, but Liam's locked up now and he's acting like I always need a bodyguard!"_

"Do you think things have happened too soon? I'm happy with Judd but I'm sure he'd understand. I mean, it has been on high-speed right? Sometimes I doubt myself, like, what if he gets sick of me? I don't want to lose him and it's not like we've been together for years or anything."

_"Oh, fuck off! You two are far too in love for that, I wouldn't steal you away from him. I'm just overreacting, I knew Drew will listen if I talk to him. If it's still too much in a week, I can get my own place for a while, I don't want to leave him but I also don't want to put a strain on our relationship."_

"Yeah, I get that," Melissa sighed, sinking into the chair, "Judd's playing soon, he's just practising at the moment."

_"I should let you get going then. Thanks for helping out, even if you didn't really say anything about my problem."_

"Drew's stubborn, sometimes you have to deal with that. Look, I'll be honest with you Lyn, you know that. If he's too much, don't be afraid to step back, I know you'd say the same to me. Don't forget, I might have been stupid and didn't listen, but you always told me to run from Liam at the first sign of trouble. Now I _know_ Drew would **never** hurt you, but sometimes even if you want things to be right, they just aren't. Life isn't always that easy."

_"Mel, thank you so much. I really need to talk to him, I'll let you know how it goes."_

"I'm not afraid to kick his butt!"

Lyn laughed and Melissa smiled, she really did want both of them to be happy and maybe this was some miscommunication that could get solved; she didn't want either of them to be miserable trying to make something work, _"You're the best. Cya later."_

"Bye bye," Melissa hung up the call, she checked the time and noticed there wasn't too long until Judd's match, he hadn't returned yet either; so instead, she headed out to the practice table, raising a brow when she saw Judd there, looking annoyed. She approached Jack, "What's up his ass all of a sudden?"

"No idea, he popped away to use the bathroom and came back looking pissed, can you talk to him?"

"Sure," She smiled softly, slowly approaching Judd; when she reached him, she wrapped her arms around him, "What's up with you?"

"If you doubt things, you should talk to me."

"What? Did you hear me talking to Lyn?"

"It wasn't like I meant to interrupt, I popped in after going to the bathroom, when I heard that, I left."

"I never said I doubted **us**."

Judd huffed, turning to face Melissa properly, "So you don't think anything's happened too soon? What would I understand Lissa?"

"Lyn had a bit of falling out with Drew, she was asking me about moving with her again! I was asking _her_ , if she thinks it's happened too soon for them. I was saying that I doubt myself, I don't want you to get sick of me. I want to help her out too, you know, if things aren't working, I wouldn't forgive myself if I told her to put on a smile and ignore it."

Judd melted at her words, he rested his head on her shoulder and sighed, "I love you so much Lissa, sometimes it scares me how quick everything seems to have happened, but I wouldn't change it. I'll never be sick of you. If you need to spend some time with Lyn, of course I understand. I shouldn't have accused you of _whatever_."

"I love you too babe, I don't want to ever feel like she does right now. She said she'll talk to him first, and she said she doesn't want to drag me away from you."

"Judd!"

He turned his head at the sound of his brother's voice, sighing softly, "Get out there babe, kick some butt. Even if it's Lisowski again."

"Yeah, see you after." Melissa held Judd's face, pressing a quick kiss to his lips; he smiled, gently squeezing her arm before he followed Jack.

"Hey," Melissa turned her head, raising a brow when she saw Selby standing there, "So, you're Judd's mysterious girlfriend then?"

"Mysterious?"

"Yeah, you popped up out of nowhere."

"Did I?" Melissa laughed, then again, not everyone knew about her and Judd, "Well, I actually met him at the Masters final, we started dating a short while after that, then things got serious enough for us to tell people. I should get going, he'll be starting."

"Okay, I want to quiz you more later. I'm playing Judd this evening." Melissa nodded, heading off to Judd's room again, where she quickly got comfortable and watched his match play out; she couldn't help but chuckle when Lisowski won, seemed he got his revenge from their last match together.

Judd returned to the room, smiling at her, "He played like crazy out there!"

"Yeah, he really didn't want to lose to you again," Judd leaned down and kissed her, "Selby was talking to me, at the practice table, called me a mysterious girlfriend."

"Selby? What the hell?"

"For real! I know. He said that I popped up from nowhere."

"You haven't been introduced to the guys properly, maybe we could later? I'll ask Neil too, I've got him next and speaking of that, I can't stick around."

"This seems so hectic, I don't know how you do it. Good luck out there," They shared another kiss and Judd vanished again; Melissa happily kept her eyes on the monitor. He beat Neil, the third frame had been very scrappy and a few times Melissa thought he'd win three-nil but Neil pulled through and it finished three-one; when Judd returned, he dropped down in a seat, sighing softly, "You've got Selby next, right?"

"Yeah, it's not until seven though, couple of hours to waste. Probably not that long until Jack drags me off again though. Neil said he's up for going for food tonight, if you're alright eating late?"

"Of course," Melissa smiled, she slid from her seat and kneeled in front of Judd; his brows rose, looking at her curiously, "How about I help you relax a little before your match?" She ran her hands over his thighs, letting her fingers trail around the shape of his cock; Judd took a deep breath, watching Melissa closely.

"You don't need to do that."

"No, but I want to." Melissa palmed the curve of his trousers, smiling when Judd gasped softly; he grew hard under her touch, she paused the motion of her hand to swiftly unbuckle his belt, then she made quick work of the button and zipper on his trousers. Melissa pulled down the fabric, running a finger over the shape Judd's cock again before removing his boxers; she wrapped her hand around it, slowly stroking along the length.

Judd swallowed, holding his breath when Melissa's lips enveloped the tip his cock; she sucked softly and he sighed in response. Melissa slowly took more of his cock into her mouth, pressing her tongue against the underside as she began to bob her head, building up a steady place and using her hand to jerk the base of his cock with the movement of her head.

She flicked her tongue against his flesh, smiling when Judd groaned softly in response; Melissa relaxed her jaw, moving her hand so she could suck further down Judd's cock. Judd grasped at the chair, biting his lip as he watched Melissa's head move; she rubbed her tongue against his frenulum, Judd grunted, his head tipping back, "What the fuck?"

Melissa repeated the motion, Judd bucked up into her mouth; she hollowed her cheeks, bobbing her head quicker, Judd's fingers dug into the fabric of the chair, his other hand coming up to cover his mouth. He didn't want them getting caught like this just because he couldn't stop the response to her movements; Melissa kept her tongue flat against Judd's cock, rubbing against the flesh as she sucked, she brought a hand up to his balls, moaning a little when she felt them tense to her touch.

Judd choked down a groan, gasping into his hand as he felt his stomach tensing; he moved his hand and ran his fingers through Melissa's hair, "Baby, I'm so close," Those words only seemed to urge her on, she massaged his balls with her fingers, sucking his cock with more vigour; Judd chewed on his lip, keeping his noises as quiet as possible, "Liss, I-I'm gonna cum." His hips bucked and he grunted softly as he spilled into her mouth; Melissa swallowed down his cum, gently licking up his cock as he sunk into the seat.

She cleaned him up with another swift lick, smiling when his cock twitched in response, "How do you feel?"

" _God_ , that was amazing baby," Judd ran his fingers across Melissa's cheek, running one over her lips, "Where did you learn that?"

Melissa shrugged, getting up to her feet and stretching before she plopped down into the other chair; Judd stood to fix his boxers and trousers, sending her a curious look, "I...I might have done some research on good techniques, I wanted to impress you. You always seem to know what you're doing to me, I just wanted to return the favour."

"You don't ever have to return anything baby."

"I know that, but I like to make you feel good, it's really nice to hear you like that."

Judd smiled, he walked over to Melissa and kissed her, "Don't worry, I'll get you back for that later," He turned at the sound of a knock on the door, "Practice time, I'll see you after the match."

They kissed again and Melissa smiled up at him, "Good luck." He nodded and waved as he left the room; she sighed happily, going back to looking through her phone. When Judd's match against Selby began, she made herself comfortable, intently watching the game; she kept silently rooting for him and then deflated when the match ended, three-one to Selby.

Judd returned and he didn't look as upset as she thought he would be, still he was quiet as he changed, sinking down into the free chair, "That was bad."

"He played really well, you didn't get much table-time. What are we doing now?"

"Drop my stuff in the car, the restaurant is pretty close by. Come here a sec," Melissa rose a brow, getting up to cross the distance between them; Judd quickly pulled her into his lap, pressing his face into her side, "Thanks again for being here baby. I love knowing you're urging me on, I can't always win."

"You've done well so far, I'm really proud of you," Melissa ran a hand over his hair, "It's good that you realise you can't win everything, that way you won't burn yourself out pushing to achieve everything, you've got time and there's players who haven't won what you have by your age."

"We should get a move on, before they think we're up to something in here," Judd smiled up at her, pulling her down into a kiss; Melissa grinned then hopped up, they grabbed his things and headed out to his car, packing everything into the back-seat, "They'll probably be out soon too."

Just as he said that, they saw Neil and Selby walking through the car-park, they chuckled to themselves then waved at them; they nodded in response, heading to their own cars to pack away their stuff before they then joined Melissa and Judd, Neil speaking first, "Lisowski said he's meeting us too."

"That's alright, I didn't see him to ask, only really came up as an idea when Lissa told me Mark was harassing her."

"I never said harassing."

"I'm just interested Judd, you getting jealous?"

Melissa giggled, wrapping her arms around Judd's right-arm, "Sorry about him. I don't mind answering questions."

Lisowski joined them, smiling and waving, "Hey Mel!"

"Jack!" Melissa smiled, letting go of Judd to hug him, "We became friends during the Players Championship."

Lisowski chuckled, grinning when Judd pulled Melissa under his arm, "Judd's protective, Jack told me so."

Judd rolled his eyes at Lisowski's comment, he should have known that his brother wouldn't keep his mouth shut, "Can we go get food now or what?" The guys laughed at Judd's reaction but started heading off to the restaurant; they got seated pretty easily due to coming in quite late, Judd kept Melissa under his arm, ready to jump if Selby stepped too far.

They ordered drinks first and took some time to mull over the menu, Selby took the chance to ask a few questions, "You're a photographer, right? I've seen you at events."

"Yeah, the magazine I work for covers sports. I really want to go independent though, I've been taking a chance to get some pictures for my own benefit. Judd's been supporting me, he actually bought me a new camera."

"Fancy, and I assume you've met each others parents?"

Judd pulled Melissa closer, pressing a kiss to her head, "She's met mine and I've met her brothers, it took a while for Drew to be comfortable with me dating her."

"It's okay Judd," She smiled up at him, gently squeezing his thigh, "They passed away, and I'm planning on going to the cemetery with Judd."

"Sorry to hear that. I understand, my father passed when I was young and it wasn't easy without him," Selby smiled softly to Melissa, "If I know Judd well enough, they'd definitely approve of him, he's a great man."

"He is," Melissa nodded, cuddling into Judd's chest, "They'd love him as much as I do. I know, even if they give him a hard time, Drew and Eli like him too."

"If you don't mind me asking," Neil spoke up, Melissa turned her attention to him, "What do your brothers do?"

"Drew is a lawyer and Eli works in IT support. Although, you'd think with how busy Eli always seems to be, it feels like the opposite."

"And how old are you?"

"I'll be twenty-nine in September, not too long after Judd's birthday."

"Shouldn't we order? I'm getting hungry," Judd piped up, he didn't want Melissa to be bombarded by questions all night; everyone nodded in response and Neil called a waiter over, they ordered and settled in some idle chatter about tomorrow's matches until the food arrived. The meal distracted most of the conversation, eating seemed to be the one thing on everyone's mind; occasionally one of the guys asked Melissa a new question, which she answered with enthusiasm and as the night came to an end, they said their thanks you's and headed back to the car park. Judd chose to walk with Neil and Selby while Melissa chatted with Lisowski about the art museum they went to in Hong Kong, "Talk about fifty questions, you guys were worse than my parents."

"We need to vet her too, you know," Neil grinned, "She's a lovely girl, you picked a good one."

"If it wasn't for my brother, I would have never chased after her. I was lucky, she probably thought I was a weirdo when I asked for her number, I didn't know anything, it just felt right being with her. Then I learned more, how rough things have been and I felt even more lucky. Even with her ex breathing down her neck, she stuck with me, she didn't base me off how he treat her. I love her, more than I thought possible."

"God, you big sap!" Selby laughed, rubbing a hand over Judd's shoulder, "She makes you happy, that's not hard to see, you sound like you've been married for years. Hold onto that."

"Yeah," Judd smiled softly, watching how Melissa and Lisowski were messing around, "I will."

When they reached the car park, Neil and Selby took the chance to thank Melissa for putting up with them, giving her a hug before they departed; Lisowki laughed at them, shaking his head, he said his goodbyes too and was soon off. Judd took Melissa's hand, leading them back to his car and once they were seated, he kissed her fingers, "Well, I think it's only fair, I can't even think of what Lyn would have said to you."

"She wasn't as harsh as Drew, but she told me in no uncertain words that she'd kill me and no-one would find the body if I ever hurt you," Melissa giggled, Judd softly rubbed his fingers over her hand, smiling at her, "I love you, never forget that."

"Judd," Melissa sighed happily, "I love you too." Then Judd leaned in and kissed her, reluctantly letting go of her hand to drive back to their hotel.


	12. Snooker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life is filled up with more tournaments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOD, the match against Ronnie at Tour Championship killed me. I am dead.

Judd's first match of the day started later than intended due to the previous match running over; Melissa was eating a sandwich and waiting patiently for the match to get underway, the first frame was more than scrappy and she couldn't help but sigh when Higgins took the lead. It made Melissa's heart sink to see Judd lose and when he returned, he threw down his stuff onto the table and plopped down on the sofa besides her; Melissa wrapped him up in her arms, "That was tough baby."

"It's essentially the end now, I screwed up."

Melissa ran her hand across his back, gently massaging his muscles, "Go down fighting. You tried your hardest and we discussed this, you can't always win everything, that's just unrealistic standards."

"Thanks, I'll show off in my next match." They spent some time chatting about what to do with the rest of their day; Judd stole some of Melissa's snacks, which she chuckled at and when Jack turned up to take Judd for practice, Judd gave her a sweet kiss and vanished.

The match against Gould soon started, Judd lived up to his word, starting with a strong break of one hundred and thirty-six to take the first frame; he followed up with a good second frame too, a lovely one-hundred and twenty-five break. Finally, he took the third frame with an eighty-two break and when Judd returned, Melissa gave him a big hug, "I'm so proud of you."

"Can we go now? I'll get changed, we could have a look around, maybe grab some food then go back to the hotel," Melissa nodded, they kissed and she dropped her arms to let him get change; Judd got changed then he gathered his things and they headed out. They spent some time having a look around at what Coventry had to offer, Melissa took some more pictures of the sights they visited; Judd watched her fondly, wrapping an arm around her waist as she put her camera away, "I love watching you take pictures."

Melissa giggled hugging close to his side, "Just how I love watching you play, it's the same," Judd kissed her head and Melissa smiled; looking to scout out the restaurants so they could go for food. She spotted a Mexican restaurant and tapped his arm, "What do you think of this place?"

"Looks good, you interested in eating here?" Melissa nodded, Judd took her hand in his and they headed inside; someone at the door took them to a table, located near the back and they made themselves comfortable, ordering their drinks first, "Seems like a nice place, you have good taste."

"Hmm, I wonder what that says about you." Melissa grinned at him and Judd chuckled, shaking his head in response; they looked through the menu, deciding on a starter to share and their own mains. The waiter returned with their drinks, taking their order while he was there and when he vanished again; Melissa sighed happily and relaxed into her chair, taking a sip of her drink.

Judd smiled, taking a sip of his own drink before deciding to speak again, "I was thinking of going to the gym, once we're back at home, would you like to join me?"

"Sure, I don't go as often as I should and it'll be really nice to go with you."

Just as they were chatting about how to organise things; especially as they knew that most of the next day would be filled with travelling back home, someone approached their table, catching their attention, "Hi, sorry to bother you both. I saw you over here and I was wondering if I could get an autograph?"

"Yeah, I don't see why not." The man smiled brightly at Judd, handing over a magazine and a pen, Judd sighed it and handed everything back.

"Thank you so much. Again, I'm sorry to be a bother."

"Don't worry about it," The man waved and headed back to his own table, "Wasn't that magazine the one you work for?"

"That's right, I took the picture. How did it look?"

Judd smiled at Melissa, taking her hand, "I love your work, you know that, it looked great."

"Still, you know I love your matches and you always ask my opinion about how you played," Their starter arrived at that moment and they let go of each other's hands to start eating, "What do you think? It's nice."

"It's lovely. I could eat anything right now to be honest, I'm famished and today wasn't even that long."

Melissa hummed, "You've been working hard, then you'll only have a few days off before the next tournament and I bet those won't be real days of, you'll be training," Judd nodded, he could already see the schedule that Jack probably had planned out, "After food, we should get some snacks and a couple of drinks for the ride home tomorrow."

"Do you just want to go shopping?" Melissa grinned at him, turning her attention back to the food; Judd chuckled to himself, they finished up the starter and began discussing the next tournament. Their mains arrived and they happily settled to eating their meal, enjoying the pleasant music of the restaurant; once they finished up, Judd paid the bills and they said their thank yous as they headed out, going toward the shopping centre.

"I have an idea for this weekend, if you have some spare time on Sunday. How about we all go for a meal together? Me, you, Lyn, Drew, Eli and Jack? I think it'd be nice for us all to spend some time together."

"That sounds good, it'll be nice to relax before going to Wales, I think even Jack will appreciate it, I'll ask him for sure later on," Judd smiled at her; she perked up when she noticed a small Tesco Extra, "Snacks?"

"Yes! Eli told me about some pretzels from here and I want to try them out," Melissa smiled up at him and they headed into the shop together; she found the pretzels and Judd rose a brow, "I know, they sound strange, but I'm willing to try them out. Pick yourself something!"

Judd shook his head, picking out some salted pretzels instead and dumping it into the basket, they also got a bar of chocolate to share; they headed over to the drinks, grabbing a big bottle of water that they could share. They had a little wander around and Melissa picked out some fruit to share too; they finished looking around and checked out, Judd carrying their bag of goodies as they left the store.

They walked around shopping centre a little, Melissa dragged them into New Look to have a look at some clothes, a dress caught her eye and she picked it up to show Judd, "What do you think?"

"It looks nice and I bet you'll make it look gorgeous. Should I get something new?"

"No, you're fine. I do love the all black though, if you're intending to look extra nice for me. I do want to pick out some stuff for you to wear though. You can pick something for me."

Judd hummed, having a look over the clothes near him, "I think I could do that. Anything I want to see you try?"

"Yeah, if you think something looks nice, I'll try it on." Melissa grinned and Judd smiled in response; she picked out some high-heels to match her dress and a small clutch-bag. While they looked around, Judd picked up a few things for her to try too; they filtered over to the men's section where Melissa picked up some things for Judd. They headed to the men's changing room first, Melissa waited while Judd went in; he popped back out between outfits, getting a big smile and a thumbs-up from Melissa.

Once he was finished, they headed over to the women's fitting rooms where Judd waited outside, holding the shoes that Melissa had picked; she vanished behind the curting, also walking back out between each piece of clothing and once she was done, they headed to the check-out, Melissa paying for everything she had picked while Judd did the same. They left, hand-in-hand with Judd's right-hand carrying their bags, "Anywhere else you want to go?"

"Dunno, let's just have a look around," And so they did, popping into a couple of more shops and picking up some more things before finally heading back to their hotel; Judd tried to hide a yawn, failing miserable as Melissa pointed it out, "I've been dragging you around, you've played two matches today, you should be resting before we head back tomorrow."

"It's not your fault, the day's just catching up to me," Judd gave her a reassuring smile and when they reached their room, he placed the bags near their belongings and dropped onto the bed; Melissa joined him, rubbing her hands over his shoulders, "Mmh, thanks."

"How long do you have off?"

"The next competition is the nineteenth, we'll be travelling up to the venue on the eighteenth and I'll use that day to get some practice in, so three days really."

Melissa hummed, working her fingers over the tightness that Judd had built up, "You're working so hard, I'm really proud of you."

"Well, I love it and it happens to be a pretty nice job."

"I'm looking forward to your next match." Judd smiled up at her, closing the distance to press a kiss to her lips; he was looking forward to it as well.

* * *

Watching Judd's comeback against Williams had filled Melissa with glee, she watched his interviews too and when he returned to the dressing room, looking exhausted, she let him collapse into her arms, "Well done babe, that comeback was amazing."

"Tiring, when I was eight-five down, I thought it might have been over. He made some mistakes that I could take advantage of."

Melissa nodded, she ran her fingers through his hair, gently massaging Judd's head, "The last frame really had me on the edge. Looks like you'll be facing Ronnie next."

"Yeah, probably. I'll get changed, then we can head back and chill."

"Okay," She let go of him and Judd quickly got changed into something more comfortable; once he was done, they headed back to the hotel where they got comfortable on the bed and stuck a movie on, "It'll be a good match tomorrow. Just because you're in it."

"Did you see that I brought a black shirt? That's just for you."

"Ooh, I do always admire you though. All black is definitely my aesthetic."

"Well then, now you have more reason to look forward to the match."

* * *

It seemed like the match against Ronnie approached far too quickly; after getting some practice done, Judd took a moment to relax with Melissa, getting his head into the upcoming game while Jack and Melissa talked. When someone came to let him know it was time, he turned his attention to Melissa, who perked up, "Good luck out there." He smiled when she kissed him.

"Good luck!" Judd grinned at his brother then headed out; Jack noticed the tenseness in Melissa's shoulders and he gently patted her head, "He'll be alright.

"I have faith in him, it just won't be an easy match for him." Jack nodded; they turned to the screen when the players got announced. At the mid-session with a solid three-one lead, Melissa went with Jack to help Judd fit some practice in; she didn't do much but put the balls back onto the table, Jack gave all the pointers and then Judd soon got called, Melissa gave him a big hug and a bright smile before he left them.

Jack and Melissa watched the rest of the afternoon session with intent, rooting Judd on; then it came to a close, with a decent lead of six-two in Judd's favour. They went out for food together, once Judd was changed, the fresh-air helped Judd feel like some of his nerves had been taken away; he knew he couldn't afford to let up against Ronnie, even with a good lead over him.

When they returned, Jack left Judd and Melissa to have some time alone, "I don't know how long he'll leave us, I need to get some practice in."

"I know that. Get changed first, okay? Then we can relax a little before you go out," Judd nodded, he got changed relatively quickly and joined Melissa on the sofa, where they cuddled together, "No matter what happens out there, I'm still so proud of you."

"Thanks. It still won't be easy against him."

"Yeah, he's a tough opponent, I'll be here rooting for you," Judd smiled up at her and they shared a kiss; they relaxed back together, settling in each others arms. They spent some time just enjoying the peace and quiet, it made Judd feel calm; they appreciated the time they had until Jack returned to get Judd, "Good luck, kick butt!" Jack chuckled and Judd smiled brightly, they headed out and Melissa took the time to have a look through social media, the player's got announced back to the table and Jack joined Melissa with watching.

As she thought, Ronnie didn't make it easy for Judd, pulling back to a seven-five lead to Judd by the mid-session; Jack went to find Judd to get some practice in during the interval; the time seemed to fly past and Jack soon returned, the match got underway. Judd took the first frame then Ronnie kept fighting back, bringing the match to nine-all, leading them into the final frame; Melissa literally sat on the edge of the sofa as the frame played out, silently urging Judd on.

When Ronnie made a mistake, she almost sighed with relief, the tenseness of the game keeping it contained. And when Judd missed the yellow, Melissa's heart sunk, she kept praying for Ronnie to mess up but when the black went in, she deflated; Jack patted her shoulder, "I'm going to leave, he'll appreciate your company more."

She nodded and Jack left, Judd returned a moment later, looking annoyed; he packed away his his cue then sat beside Melissa, leaning to bury his head into her neck, "I should have had that...I looked at the finish line before I was over it. I took the yellow too quick."

"Judd," Melissa sighed softly and she kissed his head, "You can't dwell on that, he could have easily fucked up the black too, it's a game of chance sometimes. Today, it wasn't with you, I know this is different, but I feel like it can apply. Do you remember what you said to me about my ex?" Judd shook his head, "You can't spend forever worrying over the past, this is a game you need to put behind you now, it won't help crying over a mistake, Ronnie isn't called the best for nothing. He thrives on a situation like this, putting an opponent in a position they feel safe, but the pressure is still on and he relies on that to cause mistakes. You can work on it, realise what was wrong, and I'm sure Jack will help you to work with that pressure instead of having it as a bad thing. Focus now on what's to come, there's the China Open and the World Championships."

Judd chuckled, raising his head to look at her, "Thanks. Using my own words against me."

"Well, I tweaked it a little," Melissa smiled, they shared a kiss then Judd jumped up; he got changed, then they headed back to the hotel, Judd dropped his things down and Melissa took the moment to use the bathroom. Once she was done, she found him relaxing on the bed, "Tired? It's really late."

"Yeah, if the match hadn't gone on so long--"

"That can happen to anyone, especially with more frames to play," She smiled at him, hopping onto the bed besides him; Judd nodded, he pulled Melissa into his arms, "We need to agree on something. I love you, win or lose, and you don't need to win everything. You need to recognise that it was a tough match and it could have easily gone the other way."

"Jack says I'm too hard on myself, but no-one else went onto that table and made the mistake, it was me who messed up."

"And it could have been Mark who was playing, I said, Ronnie lives off the pressure, you just need to work with Jack to do the same."

Judd sighed, pressing a kiss against her head, "Anyone told you you're a genius?" Melissa laughed, shaking her head, "You're amazing, I'm lucky to have you around."

"Well, I'm lucky too! You've made my life so much better. You stuck through the shit that Liam was trying to cause, someone else would have ran away, now I'll stick with you through everything."

"Thank you, you're definitely the voice of reason for me. I love you." They shared a kiss and relaxed into the bed together; just enjoying the blissfulness of being with one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> World Championships btw :D :D :D


	13. Conflict?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trip to Beijing comes around.

Being back in Essex was nice, Judd and Melissa had watched the rest of the snooker together; Judd didn't seem too disappointed anymore and Melissa was glad about it. So, with another win down for Ronnie, Melissa got whisked away with doing some photography for the local newspaper and even some private events; she kept up with taking landscape images for her website, Judd was keeping busy with practice and he even got talked into a night-out with his friends.

Melissa was happy to just spend some time organising her pictures and getting private ones sent off to the right people; just as she was finishing up, an email popped up on her computer about a potential job. Melissa read through it a little, momentarily distracted when she heard the door open; Judd soon joined her on the sofa and she turned her head to him, "I thought you'd be out later."

"It's boring without you," Judd smiled, getting one in return from her "What are you reading?"

"Just an email about a job, nothing too extravagant, besides, I'm too excited about Beijing to think about anything else right now. What date are we leaving on? Did you finally decide?"

"We're leaving on the twenty-ninth, the guys want to see the sights before the tournament starts."

"I'll bring my camera, it'll be nice to get some pictures," Melissa closed everything down and shut-down the laptop before placing it onto the table, "We should think about packing soon, otherwise it'll get put off until last minute."

"We've still got some time to relax, when I told Oli I hadn't packed, he promised to kick my butt into gear."

"I'll definitely be ready before you."

"Yeah, I always end up rushing at the last minute."

Melissa giggled, she cuddled into Judd, smiling softly when he wrapped his arms tight around her, "Well, if Oli is going to harass you about it, I'll let you off the hook this time."

"Thanks," Judd kissed her head, smiling when she titled her head up at him; just as he was leaning to capture her lips, a knock came at the door and he looked up, "Who could that be?"

"I dunno, it's your house."

" _Technically_ , but you live here too."

Melissa grinned, she hopped up, going to answer the door, her jaw dropped when she saw Elias stood there, soaked through, "What happened?"

"I was waiting out in the rain, for my date, who never showed. You were the closest."

"Jesus! Come in," Melissa ushered him in, leading him into the lounge where Judd looked over, concern immediately rushing over his face, "Do you have something for him to change into?"

"Yeah, I should, I'll go check."

He got up and headed upstairs; Melissa sighed and turned to Elias, "Go get a shower, we can talk after. Judd will show you the bathroom," She smiled softly, Elias nodded; she gently ran a hand through his hair, "I'm sorry."

"I won't forgive it, don't worry."

He shook off her hand then headed upstairs; she went into the kitchen and began brewing the coffee machine, sighing when Judd's arms wrapped around her waist, "I overheard, while you were at the door. It fucking sucks."

"Yeah, I'm gonna make him coffee, do you mind if he crashes here tonight? I don't want him going to an empty flat right now."

"Of course not, I'll make up the couch for him."

"Thank you."

"He's family, even if we're not married and I know how much he means to you."

"Thanks," Melissa made them coffee and Judd went to sit in the lounge; when Elias emerged back downstairs, he joined Judd and they got talking about football, Melissa brought the coffee's in. They all got comfortable together, just chatting away until it got late; Judd made up the sofa for Elias and Melissa gave him a reassuring hug before they headed to bed, once the two of them were cuddled under the sheets, Melissa sighed softly, "I hope he'll be okay."

"I think he will, he seems strong, just like you are. Don't spend all night worrying about it, he wouldn't want that either, you can help him get through it, tomorrow is a new day." Melissa smiled at Judd, they shared a soft kiss and bade goodnight before they relaxed into the bed, letting sleep was over them.

* * *

By the time they were leaving for Beijing, Elias seemed chipper again, so Melissa put faith in Andrew keeping an eye on him and for Elias to work through anything else on his own; after-all, he needed to find the strength alone too, he knew he could turn to his family if he needed it. So with an eye on the Chins open and a long flight to Beijing, after a little rest, Melissa and Judd spent some time exploring Beijing, before he got some practice in. She managed to get some good pictures of the sights; she also got some pictures of Judd's practice the day before his match, Judd couldn't seem to stop laughing when she'd said they were just for fun. She was glad to see him so relaxed and it was nice to chat with Jack for a while too, then they eventually finished for the day, Judd looked relieved; they headed for food together and returned to the hotel for the night, "Are you looking forward to tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to playing."

"Get some rest," Melissa smiled, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and went into the bathroom; Judd smiled, he got ready for bed while she was busy. Just as he was getting comfortable, a noise from her laptop distracted him; Judd decided to turn it off for her and when the screen came to life. Melissa had left her emails open and he couldn't help but shake his head; his interest perked when he noticed the email she had gotten the other day, it hadn't been deleted yet and the name was what drew him in, he clicked it before he could stop himself, reading over the words.

_Dear Miss Brooks,_

_We have recently been made aware of your photography from one of our employees, we would like to offer you an opportunity to come and take pictures at our events on April Sixth and Seventh. We will be providing you with plane tickets and VIP Passes to these events, you will only need to get accommodation for your stay. We hope to hear from you soon._

_Kind Regards,_

_Alisha Jones, WWE Administrative Personnel._

As the words sunk in, Judd couldn't believe that Melissa hadn't really mentioned it to him, he heard the bathroom door open and quickly closed down the page then turned the laptop off, "Oh, did I forget about it being on?"

"Yeah."

"Damn, thanks babe. I was sorting through some of the pictures."

Judd nodded, they got comfortable on the bed together and the thought crept into his brain again, "Do you have any events coming up?"

"Nope, not as far as I know. I have a feeling I'll get busy soon, perfect time for weddings," Melissa smiled, "Why? Did something come up?"

"You had a notification, that's how I knew it was on, but I didn't read it."

Melissa shrugged, "It wouldn't matter anyway, right now, you're the most important thing to me," She stretched out on the bed, pressing a kiss to his lips before settling down, "Get some rest babe, you'll need it for tomorrow." Judd smiled softly, getting comfortable too; Melissa flicked off the lights and he closed his eyes, willing rest to come. He was still dwelling on that email, any reason why she didn't bring it up...Maybe she didn't want to go, maybe she hadn't read it properly when he'd came home, maybe she thought he would rather her be with him. _Maybe, maybe, **maybe**_ ; it was driving a hole into Judd's brain, he didn't want Melissa to pass up on an opportunity just to watch his matches...

* * *

The match against Robbie approached quickly, Melissa was sure Judd seemed off about it, but he went to his practice and when Jack joined her without mentioning anything, she shrugged off the feeling; the game had been tough to watch, Jack left her alone during the mid-session and she took the time to check up with Andrew and Elias, glad to hear that Elias was back to his cheery self. Andrew gushed over Lyn and Melissa was happy to know that they had patched things up; she knew how stubborn Andrew was but he'd pushed to make things work, had even offered Lyn a flat viewing from one of his clients, she had backed down and they mended things quickly.

Jack returned, looking a little annoyed, "What's up?"

"Something's up his ass again. Has he mentioned anything? He brought up a trip to Dubai."

Melissa put her phone down, straightening up at Jack's words, "No, I thought he seemed off all day. Is it me?"

"I doubt it. Talk to him after the match, he's probably just annoyed about being behind, wants to relax before the Worlds comes around." Melissa nodded, but a knot settled in her stomach; they watched the rest of the match and when Judd lost six-five, Jack sighed, "I'm going to head back."

"Okay," He left the room and Judd returned a short while later, packing away his things without saying a word, "Do you wanna talk to me?" He hummed, deciding to sit down, "Jack said you're pissed. That you want to go to Dubai, you never said anything to me."

"Yeah, spur of the moment thought," Judd shrugged but Melissa didn't feel satisfied with the answer, he huffed out a sigh in response to her tensing up, "I saw one of your emails last night, the one you got before we came to Beijing. It was from WWE."

"I don't remember reading that. Are you sure?" Judd nodded, Melissa picked up her phone and checked her emails, she found it quickly and read over the words, "What about it?"

"Don't you want to go?"

"Even if I had wanted to, you might have had a match."

Judd stood up, rolling his eyes, "It's not always about me. I want to see you do well Lissa, this could be great for you. They'd promote you on their website, it would get loads of people interested."

"Yeah, mostly American's though. I don't have an issue with getting my name out there and taking events, but I wouldn't want to live in America, or try to figure out getting there if I got more job offers. I want to stay in England, I want to be with you. It isn't even about the snooker, you know I love you for more than that."

"But I don't want you to turn down these things for my matches."

"Judd, I enjoy snooker and watching you play, but I'm here for _you_ not for that. Would you prefer if I left? Is that why you were talking about Dubai with your brother?"

"I was talking about Dubai because I want to rest. Even if I'd made it to the final, there's a big gap until the Worlds. You should go, you don't need to worry about me now."

Melissa felt speechless by that; she wanted to be with Judd no matter what, a win or a loss. But he'd thought about something else, something without including her, she swallowed down a lump in her throat; Melissa closed her eyes and took a deep breath, when she opened them, she replied to the email then tucked the phone into her jeans, "There, are you happy now? I don't care about the matches, I care about you, about being with you and improving us. If that doesn't matter to you, then I'll go," Melissa didn't wait for a reply before she stormed out of the room, she bumped into Jack in the hallway, quickly brushing him off, "Tell your brother that he can do whatever the fuck he wants in Dubai."

"What?" But before Jack got an answer, Melissa left; she walked back to the hotel, quickly packing her things once she let herself into the room. She couldn't believe Judd, and maybe she was overreacting--well, definitely, but she wasn't going to let him act like the things he said and did, didn't affect her. Once she was done, she handed in her room-key at reception and took the subway to the airport; while waiting for the first available flight, she phoned Lyn, almost in tears.

_"Mel?"_

"Fuck Judd. He was reading my fucking emails, he saw I got offered a job from WWE, I hadn't even read it properly, I didn't know. I don't know what the fuck he thought," Melissa sighed, rubbing the back of her hand over her eyes, "I'm coming back, can I stay with you?"

_"Of course! We can talk about it better in person. Drew will want to know. What should I say?"_

"Just tell him I'm pissed off, I need some space. Judd's fucking off to Dubai too, a break before the Worlds. I can't deal with him anyway, and I've took the job with WWE."

_"Let me know when you land. I'll pick you up, take care of yourself."_

"I will. Sorry for dumping this on you."

_"Hey, don't apologise. I gotta get back to work, I'll see you later, okay?"_

"Yeah, there's a flight soon anyway. Don't tell Eli either. See you later."

 _"Bye."_ Melissa turned off her phone, shoving it into the back of her suitcase; she bought a ticket for the flight and waited. When the call came, she took one last look back, hoping for a moment that Judd would turn up to stop her; she sighed and headed off, glad to be going home.

* * *

After Melissa had explained everything as best as she could to Lyn, who seemed so understanding about the situation, Melissa still wanted to keep things quiet from Andrew and Elias, because she knew how they would react to what had happened. Lyn kept Melissa busy, making sure she avoided social media too; Lyn knew that Judd had been posting stories onto his Instagram and she didn't want Melissa seeing it. When Friday came, after having lunch, Lyn dropped Melissa off at the airport and they said their goodbyes before Melissa was off to America.

When Melissa landed, she headed to her hotel, finally deciding to check the messages she'd received, some from Jack and Judd. She read through the ones from Jack first, mostly him apologising for Judd's behaviour and asking her to get back in touch; the ones from Judd were different, he'd apologised too and one of his messages made her heart jump. _I'm sorry baby, I never want you to leave me again, I was stupidly annoyed because I didn't want my stuff stopping you. I love you. I want you to do well and I want to support you as much as you support me. Please call me, Lissa._

She held her phone close for a moment, she wasn't sure what time it was in Dubai, but she wanted to call him and just talk; so with a sigh, she called Judd, biting her lip as it rang, when it connected through, she could hear music in the background, "Judd?"

_"Lissa, I miss you. I'm so sorry."_

"I miss you too. I shouldn't have walked away, you know I wouldn't pass up a good opportunity, I want to grow. I want to watch you succeed too, if I'd had chance to read the email properly, I would have talked about it with you."

_"I know, I don't blame you for leaving. Where are you right now?"_

"I just got to the hotel, in New York. Are you having fun?"

Melissa bit her lip when she heard Judd sigh, _"Trying, it's not the same without you."_

"You looked like you were enjoying yourself and I don't blame you, you deserve a nice break."

_"Charlie and Jack are keeping my spirits up, but you should hear me, I keep talking about you. How stupid I was...I'm never going to let you go again."_

"Judd, I'm sorry too. We can make up when we're back at home," Melissa noticed the time, and a wave of tiredness washed over her, "Look, I gotta get some rest, I couldn't sleep on the plane and I have a long evening coming up. I love you, more than anything in the world and no relationship is perfect, we're bound to have a fight or two, but it won't change anything for me, I'll always love you."

_"I love you too, you are my world. Sleep well baby."_

"Bye." The call ended, she clambered onto the bed and laid sprawled out; she felt happy though, things with Judd seemed calm now and steady.

* * *

Melissa felt completely in her element taking pictures on the red carpet, she'd even gotten to know the other photographers a little better before the night began; she always thought the superstars looked nicer all dressed up and when the night came to a close, she began walking out of the arena when someone bumped into her, "I'm sorry," The man turned around and Melissa felt a little shocked, first she had bumped into Judd and now, her favourite wrestler was bumping into her, "Oh! You're a photographer."

"Yeah, my name's Melissa."

"Hi, I'm Colby. I heard about you, I love your work."

"Thank you! I'm hoping I can get a few good shots of you when you win tomorrow."

Colby chuckled, shaking his head, "Don't curse it, it's Brock after-all, he won't exactly roll over and hand it to me."

"Well, I have faith that you can do it," Melissa smiled and his came naturally, just as she was about to bid him goodbye, her phone rang and she quickly answered when noticing the name staring back at her, "Hey, are you okay?"

_"Of course, why wouldn't I be? I just wanted to talk to you."_

"I see, that's good. I've just finished, on my way back to the hotel."

 _"I have something stupid to ask,"_ Melissa hummed, she gave Colby an apologetic smile and began heading toward the exit, _"I've been invited to attend a football game, in Rome. I know you find it boring, but I'd love you to come with me, it's next week."_

"Really? Oh, I'd love to see the sights! I can get some really nice pictures and it would be a great get-away for us."

_"And then the stupid part comes, some of the guys are coming so we won't be alone, once we're back at home, I promise to make it up to you."_

"I don't mind, I think everyone needs a break before the World Championship and I know I'll figure out a way to keep you distracted."

_"Ooh, I can bet on that, sounds exciting. So, Ryan and Jack will be coming too, you should invite Lyn."_

"Yeah, I'll see what she says. Are you having fun?"

_"I feel better after talking to you, I'm really looking forward to getting home."_

"Me too, just make sure to enjoy yourself and relax," Melissa smiled to herself, she reached the hotel and pressed the button for the elevator, "Anyway, I'm about to get in the elevator so I'll say bye for now. I'll let you know when I'm on the flight home."

_"Goodnight, can't wait to see you."_

"Night, have nice day, see you soon," Melissa hung up her phone, getting into the elevator, the doors were just closing when someone stopped them and two people got in with her, "Hi again Colby, sorry about earlier. I'm surprised you're staying here."

"Hey, no worries, the call looked important," Colby smiled, "Fergal, this is Melissa, she's a photographer."

"Hi, nice to meet you. Are you new to the company?"

"It's temporary, today and tomorrow then I'm going back home."

Fergal and Colby nodded at her response, Colby remembered what she said and smiled, "We usually stay in more low-key hotels, we love meeting fans but after a long day it's nice to get away from it all and relax."

"Of course, Judd is the same, we're lucky when there's something in the area since we can just go home. But the next competition for him is a few hours away and he's trying to relax as much as possible before the storm comes." She chuckled, shaking her head.

"So what's he doing now then?"

"He's actually in Dubai, once we're both back home he'll be practising then we're going to Rome for a couple days."

Colby smiled softly, "That sounds nice. We're always on the road for something, and the places we get to see are wonderful, one perk of the job."

Melissa nodded, the elevator reached her floor and she smiled at the two of them, "It was nice meeting you both, see you tomorrow." They nodded and bade their goodbyes too, she stepped out and headed to her room to turn in for the night.

* * *

The next couple of days flew by and Melissa felt extremely happy to be seeing Judd again, he brought her along to the practice sessions, she helped by setting the balls back onto the table while Jack helped with any pointers; Lyn had agreed to coming along to Rome, which Melissa had been grateful for, so she had someone to relax with while the boys enjoyed the football.

After a long day of practice, Melissa and Judd headed home, once they were inside, he pulled her into a hug, resting his head on her shoulder, "I forgot how much I missed you being by my side. Can we stay like this for a while."

"Of course," She wrapped her arms around him and held him close; it always seemed to be Judd's of recharging and Melissa didn't mind one bit, it was nice being able to hold him. When he pulled away, he was smiling and she couldn't help but find it contagious, "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, I forgot how much I enjoy that." Judd took her hand, still smiling and he led them both upstairs.


	14. Rush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judd gets busy with another tournament.

The whirlwind of the World Championships hit, Judd got wrapped up in practice and with the press, Melissa found herself lucky enough to be taking pictures during press day; she made some conversation with Lisowski about the tournament, once the rush had died down a little, until Judd pulled her under his arm and pressed a kiss to her head, "Judd. You're too protective."

"I have to be, Lissa is addicting; she's so beautiful too. I have to keep my eyes open."

"Shut up," She laughed, gently pushing him away a little, "As if anyone else would steal my attention from you." Lisowski chuckled when Judd grinned and pulled her into a kiss.

"You guys are gross."

Melissa smiled as she buried her head into Judd's chest, "Hey Judd!" Neil and Mark joined them, both smiling; Melissa saw some of the other players there too, Un-nooh, Ding and Luca, "The guys were just asking about Melissa, you're a better source than us."

"I guess," Judd's brows lifted, looking over his other friends, "Sorry I've been slacking in introducing her, I like keeping her to myself." She got introduced to the rest of the guys; Judd smiled at how easily she fit in, as if she'd always been there, he loved seeing the way his friends brought her into the fold.

Everything felt nice, Melissa was happy and Judd could feel it lighting up his own happiness; when she wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled him into the conversation, he couldn't help but softly kiss her, even if his friends made fun of him, that didn't really matter, he was far too happy.

* * *

Watching Judd's run through the World Championships had been a mix of ups and downs, Melissa was so glad to see him reaching the final, he seemed overjoyed by it too, of course, the final wouldn't be an easy game to win but the eight years had definitely taught Judd new things; Melissa felt a little nervous to be watching him play, Jack sat at her side making little jokes and keeping her calm, even as the first session ended at four-all.

When they returned for the night session and Judd dropped the first frame, she almost held her breath but then he flew around the table, easily ending the night with a good seven frame lead so going back to the hotel with him had Melissa grinning, "You played so well! That really blew me away."

"Thanks, I feel really focused. This is the one I _really_ want to win, the Masters was good, but this one feels more important somehow."

"Well I know how much you loved winning at the masters, I could see that, but in a way, this one is bigger. I have faith in you baby, you can do it."

Judd smiled and pulled her into a kiss, once they got comfortable, Melissa gently ran her hands across his shoulders, relaxing any remaining tension in his shoulders; she placed soft butterfly kisses along the nape of his neck, following with a run of her thumbs and Judd sighed softly in response. Melissa grinned when his hand came up to hold her wrist and he turned in her arms, "Thank you. I love you."

"I love you too," She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips and ran her free hand over his shoulder, "You should get some rest. There's still a big day tomorrow." He nodded and they got comfortable in the bed, Judd pulling Melissa into his arms as they settled down for the night, the exhaustion of the day catching up with them both.

* * *

The second day brought about some more of Judd's good plays, Higgins was still clawing back though but Melissa hadn't expected it to be easy for Judd, of course Higgins wanted to win too and he wasn't going to just lay down and let Judd win; when Higgins took a frame to ensure an evening session, Melissa began to feel nervous again.

They spent couple of hours just chilling in the hotel, Judd's friends around him too and when it came time to return, Melissa kissed him and went to join his parents where they were sitting; he flew around the table again and getting to watch him lift that trophy made her heart soar. The pictures got took and she found it a little odd to be on the other side of a camera; Judd pulled her close to him, pressing a kiss to her cheek, she smiled brightly and gently squeezed his arm, "I'm so happy you're here for this."

"Of course," Melissa smiled up at him, once the pictures were taken with his family too, everyone happily left the room, Melissa couldn't help but laugh when his friends pulled him into a hug; they returned to the hotel to change first before heading out to celebrate, Melissa gasping when Judd pulled her into a kiss. When he pulled away, she gripped his arm, feeling breathless, "Judd?"

"I want to celebrate my win, with just us two."

"They'll be waiting for us."

"There's always tomorrow," Judd shrugged, he moved and put the _Do Not Disturb_ sign onto the door handle before closing it again and locking the door; he gripped Melissa's sides and pulled her up so her legs wrapped around his waist, "You okay with that?"

"More than okay." Melissa grinned as Judd lowered her onto the bed, she pulled him a kiss and relaxed into him as his hands gently rubbed her sides; all thoughts of going out were pushed from both of their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaaaah!!! I'm so happy that Judd won, best thing ever! I loved watching that match.
> 
> Has everyone seen [the pictures](https://novaseren.tumblr.com/post/184697717052/sources-x-x), he's so happy. Aah, same bro.


	15. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judd and Melissa's relationship takes another step.

Judd's career only flourished more after his win at the World Championships, Melissa still loved watching how things progressed for him and just as he grew, her own photography business grew too, more companies asked her to cover events after the pictures from WWE were released; she felt pleasantly overwhelmed by the response, she managed to get a store and with the help of her brothers, got everything that she needed all set-up.

Melissa felt truly in her element, taking pictures of weddings or graduations or events, and she even got invited out to WWE again, this time with Judd at her side while he was taking a break before the next competition; their relationship felt like in only grew in strength, Judd was there for Melissa when she needed it and she made sure to be there for him.

After they returned home after another competition, Judd pulled Melissa down onto the sofa with him, sighing as she relaxed into him; he gently thumbed out a box from his pocket and held it up to her while she was looking at him curiously, "Lissa, you know how I feel for you, how much I love you," He flipped open the lid, smiling when she gasped, "Will you marry me?"

"Judd!" Melissa planted a kiss to his lips, smiling brightly at him, "Of course, I'd love to," They shifted slightly and Judd removed the ring, sliding it onto her finger, "It's beautiful."

"Jack and Drew helped me pick, I wanted it to be as beautiful as you."

Melissa sighed happily, relaxing back into him after he placed the empty box onto the table, "I love you so much."

"I love you too, I'm so happy that you said yes."

Melissa hummed, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "I actually had a gift for you too," Judd's eyebrows shot up, they moved again and Melissa handed him a box; Judd smoothed his hand over it, the shape peaking his curiosity, "Open it!"

"Okay, okay," Melissa moved back, allowing Judd to sit up, he slid the cover off then opened up the box; he gasped when he saw the test inside, the word _Pregnant_ clearly wrote on the screen, "Lissa, when did you take this?"

"This morning, while you were out with Oli. I was late and I wanted to make sure of things before I got our hopes up. You know, even with how long we've been together now, we never talked about kids."

Judd put the box onto the table, smiling softly as he cupped her cheeks, "No, we haven't. But I'm happy, I couldn't imagine anything better than this, I want to start a family with you. It might be unplanned, I don't mind, as long as you're happy too."

"Yeah, I feel the same, I want to have a family with you. We'll have to get married after the baby's born though."

"I don't mind, there's no rush. Simply knowing that you want to be with me for the rest of our lives makes me excited."

"Me too." Melissa smiled, Judd brought her into a kiss, which she happily basked in; neither one of them could be happier, their future lay in front of them, ready to make the most of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End :)

**Author's Note:**

> Why did I write this? Who knows ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> I just liked the idea of a "love at first sight" au, nice soft romance story. Featuring one of my faves :")


End file.
